Dulce Pontes is a Portuguese musician, songwriter and singer who writes and… Read Full Bio ↴Dulce Pontes is a Portuguese musician, songwriter and singer who writes and performs in many music styles, including pop, folk, Fado and classical music. Her songs contributed to the 1990s revival of Portuguese urban folk music called fado. Blessed with a powerful and dramatic voice, she is one of the most famous and respected Portuguese artists.

Pontes started her career as a mainstream pop artist, but over the years she has evolved to become a world music singer. She blends traditional fado with contemporary styles and searches out new forms of musical expression. She introduced musical traditions of the Iberian Peninsula in her work, rediscovered many long forgotten popular tunes and found use for obsolete musical instruments. Her work is inspired and influenced not only by Iberian musical tradition, but also Arabic, African, Brazilian and Bulgarian sounds. She sings mostly in her native Portuguese, as well as Spanish, Galician, Mirandese, Italian, English, Arabic and Greek.

Dulce Pontes has collaborated with Cesária Évora, Caetano Veloso, Marisa Monte, Carlos Núñez, the Chieftains, Kepa Junkera, Eleftheria Arvanitaki, George Dalaras, Andrea Bocelli (O Mar e Tu, duet sung by Pontes in Portuguese and Bocelli in Neapolitan, for his 1999 album Sogno), and others. Her song "Canção do Mar" appeared on the soundtrack of Hollywood film Primal Fear. A 30-second piece of that same song serves as the theme to the NBC police drama Southland. Her album Focus is the fruit of a collaboration with Italian composer Ennio Morricone with whom she has also performed live.
In June 2006, Pontes prepared her double LP O Coração Tem Três Portas (The Heart Has Three Doors). It was recorded live without an audience in Convent of the Order of Christ in Tomar and St Mary Church in Óbidos. According to the artist, it is "her most personal and intimate album." It includes Portuguese folk music, mostly fado. "[1] It was released in December 2006.
In 2009, Pontes released Momentos, a double disc collection that includes songs from her 20 year career as well as several previously unreleased tracks.[2] Currently, she is working on an album of all new songs which is titled Nudez.

Lágrima
Dulce Pontes Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Cheia de penas
Cheia de penas me deito
E com mais penas
E com mais penas me levanto
No meu peito
Já me ficou no meu peito
Este jeito
O jeito de querer tanto

Desespero
Tenho por meu desespero
Dentro de mim
Dentro de mim o castigo
Eu não te quero
Eu digo que não te quero
E de noite
De noite sonho contigo

Se considero
Que um dia hei de morrer
No desespero
Que tenho de te não ver
Estendo o meu xaile
Estendo o meu xaile no chão
Estendo o meu xaile
E deixo-me adormecer

Se eu soubesse
Se eu soubesse que morrendo
Tu me havias
Tu me havias de chorrar
Por uma lágrima
Por uma lágrima tua

Que alegria
Me deixaria matar

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Dulce Pontes's song "Lagrima" express the deep sorrow and desperation of a person who cannot let go of a love that is causing them pain. The first verse describes how the singer goes to bed full of sorrow, and wakes up with even more, as the weight of their longing for their beloved remains in their heart. The second verse reveals the extent of the singer's despair, admitting that they dream of their love at night, even though they try to deny their feelings during the day. The third verse reveals the desperation that comes from contemplating the inevitability of their own death, and how the thought of their beloved crying over them with a single tear brings more happiness than death itself.

Throughout the lyrics, the recurring theme is the contrast between the singer's rational thoughts and their overwhelming emotional response to their love. The repeated refrain of "eu não te quero" (I don't want you) serves as both a confession and a denial of the singer's feelings, highlighting the inner turmoil that they are experiencing. The imagery of the xaile (shawl) that the singer lays down to sleep, and which becomes the location of their surrender to sleep and sorrow, further emphasizes the idea of letting go.

In summary, "Lagrima" is a hauntingly beautiful song that expresses the pain and desperation of unrequited love. The lyrics showcase the depth of emotion that often accompanies love, and how it can be difficult to reconcile those feelings with rational thinking.

Line by Line Meaning

Cheia de penas
Feeling full of sorrow

Cheia de penas me deito
I go to bed full of sorrow

E com mais penas
And with more sorrow

E com mais penas me levanto
And with more sorrow I wake up

No meu peito
In my heart

Já me ficou no meu peito
This feeling has remained in my heart

Este jeito
This way

O jeito de querer tanto
The way of wanting so much

Desespero
Despair

Tenho por meu desespero
I have this despair for myself

Dentro de mim
Inside of me