Her history is linked with the developing of important escolas de samba (samba schools) from Rio de Janeiro, such as Prazer da Serrinha and Império Serrano. Her repertoire is comprised of mostly romantic sambas inspired by rootsy African music. Until 2000, she recorded only these 5 LPs and one CD. Dona Ivone Lara is the godmother of the group of composers at Império Serrano and participates in the carnival parades every year.
Dona Ivone Lara was born in Rio de Janeiro. She graduated in nursing, with specialization in Occupational Therapy, and worked as a social worker until she retired in 1977. With this professional background, she worked in psychiatric hospitals, where she knew Dr. Nise da Silveira.
With the death of her mother when she was three, and of her father when she was twelve, Dona Ivone was raised by aunts and uncles and with them she learned to play the cavaquinho. She was exposed to samba music at the side of her cousin Mestre Fuleiro; she took singing lessons from Lucília Villa-Lobos and was praised by Dona Lucília's husband, the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos.
At the age of 25, she married Oscar Costa, son of Afredo Costa, the president of the Prazer da Serrinha samba school. At Prazer da Serrinha she met several composers who later became her partners in several compositions, among them Mano Décio da Viola e Silas de Oliveira.
Dona Ivone composed the samba Nasci para sofrer (Born To Suffer), which became the theme song of the samba school. When the samba school Império Serrano was founded in 1947, she began to parade in the ala das baianas (Wing of the Baianas) during carnaval parades. There she composed the samba Não me perguntes (Don't Ask Me),. Her consecration as a composer came in 1965, with Os cinco bailes da história do Rio (The Five Balls of the History of Rio) qwhen she became the first woman to become part of the ala de compositores (Wing of the Composers) of a samba school.
Retiring from nursing in 1977, she began to dedicate herself to her musical career. She continues to record and to perform before live audiences today. Among the interpreters of her songs are such singers and artists as Clara Nunes, Roberto Ribeiro, Maria Bethânia, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Paula Toller, Paulinho da Viola, Beth Carvalho, Mariene de Castro e Roberta Sá.
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Dona Ivone Lara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do jeito que eu não queria
E manchou meu coração
Que tamanha covardia
Afivelaram meu peito
Pra eu deixar de te amar
Acinzentaram minh'alma
Afivelaram meu peito
Pra eu deixar de te amar
Acinzentaram minh'alma
Mas não cegaram o olhar
Saudade, amor, que saudade!
Que me vira pelo avesso
E revira meu avesso
Puseram uma faca no meu peito
Mas quem disse que eu te esqueço
Mas quem disse que eu mereço
Saudade, amor, que saudade!
Que me vira pelo avesso
E revira meu avesso
Puseram uma faca no meu peito
Mas quem disse que eu te esqueço
Mas quem disse que eu mereço
The lyrics of Dona Ivone Lara's song "Mas Quem Disse Que Eu Te Esqueço" express heartbreaking emotions of a person who is trying to forget someone they love deeply. The first verse describes the singer's sadness, which they didn't want to show but couldn't help. They feel that their heart has been soiled by the pain of their separation, and they call it cowardly. The second verse reveals that the singer has been urged to stop loving this person as though someone has tightened their chest to repress their feelings. However, their soul remains gray, and their eyes remain seeing what they want to forget. The chorus repeats the phrase "Saudade, amor, que saudade!" ("Longing, love, what longing!") twice, emphasizing the feelings of missing and yearning for the loved one. Despite the singer's struggle to move on, they can't forget, and they can't deny their feelings, which are like a knife in their chest.
The last verse expresses the contradiction in the singer's emotions. They feel hurt and betrayed, but they still can't forget the person they love, even though it feels like a knife in their heart. The last line, "Mas quem disse que eu mereço" ("But who said I deserve it"), could be interpreted as the singer's questioning of their worthiness to experience such emotions. Overall, the song is a powerful portrayal of the complex emotions involved in trying to forget someone you love deeply.
Line by Line Meaning
Tristeza rolou nos meus olhos
I couldn't hold back my sadness and tears
Do jeito que eu não queria
Even though I didn't want to show my weakness
E manchou meu coração
And it stained my heart with pain
Que tamanha covardia
Such cowardice to hurt me this way
Afivelaram meu peito
They tightened my chest
Pra eu deixar de te amar
So I would stop loving you
Acinzentaram minh'alma
They made my soul gray
Mas não cegaram o olhar
But they didn't blind my eyes
Saudade, amor, que saudade!
Oh how I miss you, my love!
Que me vira pelo avesso
It turns me inside out
E revira meu avesso
And flips my insides over
Puseram uma faca no meu peito
They stabbed a knife through my heart
Mas quem disse que eu te esqueço
But who said I forget you?
Mas quem disse que eu mereço
But who said I deserve this?
Lyrics © UBC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Herminio Carvalho, Yvonne Lara Da Costa
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind