Elba Ramalho was born in the rural area of Conceição, in Vale do Piancó. In 1962, the family moved to the city of Campina Grande, also in Paraíba. Her father became the owner of the local theater. Daughter of a musician, she became interested in music still as a teenager.
In 1966, she participated, for the first time, in a performance on stage, in the Choir of the Fundação Artística e Cultural Manuel Bandeira, of which she was a member, with "Evocação do Recife". The Manuel Bandeira and Cecília Meireles Talking Choirs gained fame and started to be seen all over the Northeast, and Elba, who made her first presentation on stage together with them, soon became the highlight in the presentations. She starred in the poetic montages of Castro Alves, Thiago de Mello, Lindolfo Bell, Carlos Pena Filho and Figueiredo Agra. He participated in the montages of the plays "Ministro do Supremo" and "Diálogo das Carmelitas."
In 1968, while attending college of Economics and Sociology at the Federal University of Paraíba, she formed the ensemble As Brasas, in which she acted as drummer, which later became a theater group. However, Elba never stopped singing, and performed in several festivals throughout the Northeast.
In 1979, she released her first album, "Ave de Prata", and since then she has consolidated her position as one of the main Brazilian singers in activity. On her father's side, she is a cousin of fellow singer Zé Ramalho.
She has two Latin Grammys for her albums: Qual o Assunto Que Mais Lhe importa?, released in 2008, and Balaio de Amor, 2009, in the category Best Brazilian Roots Album: Regional and Tropical. In over 35 years of career, Elba Ramalho has sold more than 10 million albums. She received from the Art Critics Association of São Paulo the award "Best Show of the Year" on two occasions: in 1989 for the show Popular Brasileira and in 1996 for the show Leão do Norte.
Alma Nua
Elba Ramalho Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sobre minha cabeça
Meu amor me apareça Pra que eu possa te alcançar
Roubando flores
de uma natureza morta
Se a beleza é o que importa
Tanto faz rir ou chorar
De maneira eu vou
A vida inteira
pra quem me queira eu tô
Se dou bandeira
è pra cantar pro meu amor
Vou me arrastando
Entre a vontade e o cansaço
sobre pétalas de aço
vou pisando devagar
Flores de plástco eu sei não tem espinho
Mas quem segue o seu caminho
Sem a dor onde vai dar
De maneira...
Caçando rimas
ouvindo estrelas
mas leve, leve
que o ar, que o avião
A alma nua
tão quente quanto
uma noite de São João
De maneira... (2x)
The song Alma Nua by Elba Ramalho talks about the struggles of trying to find love and happiness in life. The first verse describes the clouds passing by and the desire for love to come into her life so that she can reach it. The second verse talks about stealing flowers from a dead nature in the pursuit of beauty, where it doesn't matter whether she laughs or cries. The chorus is about going through life looking for someone who wants her and if she is showing a sign, it is to serenade her love.
The third verse talks about being exhausted from chasing the things she wants, but still moving forward slowly and carefully as if walking on steel petals. She knows that fake flowers don't have thorns, but the pain is essential on the path of life. In the fourth verse, she looks for inspiration from poetry or music, but softly so as to be as light as air. The soul is exposed, shooting up with the heat of the night, feeling the passion through the music.
Overall, the song Alma Nua describes the difficulties of looking for love and the beauty of life in a world where everything seems to be moving too fast and without thought. In all her struggles, she wants to find someone who will love her for who she is and will be there with her on this journey.
Line by Line Meaning
Nuvens passando,
Clouds passing by,
Sobre minha cabeça
Above my head,
Meu amor me apareça
My love appears to me,
Pra que eu possa te alcançar
So that I can reach you,
Roubando flores
Stealing flowers,
de uma natureza morta
From a lifeless nature,
Se a beleza é o que importa
If beauty is what matters,
Tanto faz rir ou chorar
It doesn't matter if you laugh or cry,
De maneira eu vou
I go my way,
A vida inteira
My whole life,
pra quem me queira eu tô
I'm here for whoever wants me,
Se dou bandeira
If I give up easily,
è pra cantar pro meu amor
It's to sing for my love,
Vou me arrastando
I crawl,
Entre a vontade e o cansaço
Between desire and fatigue,
sobre pétalas de aço
On steel petals,
vou pisando devagar
I step slowly,
Flores de plástco eu sei não tem espinho
I know plastic flowers don't have thorns,
Mas quem segue o seu caminho
But those who follow their own path,
Sem a dor onde vai dar
Without pain, where will they end up?
Caçando rimas
Hunting for rhymes,
ouvindo estrelas
Listening to stars,
mas leve, leve
But light, light,
que o ar, que o avião
Like the air, like the plane,
A alma nua
The naked soul,
tão quente quanto
As hot as,
uma noite de São João
A night of Saint John
De maneira...(2x)
I go my way...(2x)
Contributed by Blake B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.