Elba Maria Nunes Ramalho (born August 17, 1951 in Conceição, Paraíba, Brazi… Read Full Bio ↴Elba Maria Nunes Ramalho (born August 17, 1951 in Conceição, Paraíba, Brazil), best known as Elba Ramalho, is a Brazilian MPB singer, songwriter, performer, multi-instrumentalist and actress. Her musical style is characteristic for the traditional sounds of the Northeastern region of Brazil, such as baião, xote, xaxado, frevo, forró, and others.

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.

Boca Do Balao /Sao Joao Na Estrada
Elba Ramalho Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Na cidade grande
Por mais que eu ande
Ainda me espanto

Quando ouço uma explosão
Lá no interior sempre era São João
Lá no interior sempre era São João
Viva São João

Meu carneirinho
Como te esperei
Ano inteirinho
Ao pé da fogueira
Madeira, velame
Que o nosso amor inflame a noite inteira
Rasteiro ou no chão

A gente se esquenta
E arrebenta a boca do balão

Overall Meaning

In Elba Ramalho's song "Boca Do Balao / Sao Joao Na Estrada," the lyrics "Na cidade grande / Por mais que eu ande / Ainda me espanto" suggest the artist's amazement at the pace of urbanization and how it has deprived people of a simpler life. The lyrics go on to describe how despite the noise and chaos of the city, Elba always associates the loud sound of an explosion with her memories of the São João festival, which she only experienced in more rural areas. This nostalgia continues with the repetition of "Lá no interior sempre era São João" which roughly translates to "In the countryside, it was always Saint John (São João) festival." The line "Viva São João" serves to celebrate the festival, which is widely known and celebrated in Brazil.

The song then shifts focus to a more romantic tone, with Elba addressing her lover with the endearment "Meu carneirinho" meaning "my little lamb" and expressing how much she has waited for the São João festival and the moments shared by the fire. The verses "Madeira, velame / Que o nosso amor inflame a noite inteira / Rasteiro ou no chão / A gente se esquenta / E arrebenta a boca do balão" express the sensuality and romanticism of the festival, with "boca do balão" meaning the balloon's mouth and colloquially referring to the moment when the fire lights up the lantern inside the balloon, causing it to inflate and inevitably burst. The image of inflaming love and exploding balloons encapsulate the passion and celebration of the São João festival that Elba Ramalho reminisces about.

Line by Line Meaning

Na cidade grande
In the big city

Por mais que eu ande
No matter how much I walk

Ainda me espanto
I am still amazed

Quando ouço uma explosão
When I hear an explosion

Lá no interior sempre era São João
In the countryside it was always São João

Viva São João
Long live São João

Meu carneirinho
My little lamb

Como te esperei
How I have waited for you

Ano inteirinho
The whole year

Ao pé da fogueira
By the bonfire

Madeira, velame
Wood, cloth