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.
Ch%C3%A3o de giz
Elba Ramalho Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Espalho coisas sobre um chão de giz
Há meros devaneios tolos a me torturar
Fotografias recortadas em jornais de folhas
Amiúde
Eu vou te jogar
Num pano de guardar confetes
Eu vou te jogar num pano de guardar confetes
Disparo balas de canhão
É inútil, pois existe um grão-vizir
Há tantas violetas velhas sem um colibri
Queria usar quem sabe
Uma camisa de força
Ou de Vênus
Mas não vou gozar de nós
Apenas um cigarro
Nem vou lhe beijar
Gastando assim o meu batom
Agora pego um caminhão
Na lona vou a nocaute outra vez
Pra sempre fui acorrentada
No seu calcanhar
Meus vinte anos de boy
That's over, baby
Freud explica
Não vou me sujar
Fumando apenas um cigarro
Nem vou lhe beijar
Gastando assim o meu batom
Quanto ao pano dos confetes
Já passou meu carnaval
E isso explica porque o sexo
É assunto popular
No mais estou indo embora, baby
No mais estou indo embora
No mais, embora, baby, baby
No mais, estou indo embora
No mais, estou indo embora, baby, baby (no mais)
No mais, estou indo embora, baby
No mais, estou indo embora
No mais
"Chão de Giz" is a song by Elba Ramalho that explores themes of loneliness, memories, and the complexities of relationships. The lyrics depict the singer's feelings of isolation and their attempt to distract themselves from their troubled thoughts by scattering meaningless things on a chalk floor. The mention of cutout photographs in newspapers suggests a longing for connection and a desire to escape their current state of mind.
The singer expresses a sense of hopelessness and futility in their actions by comparing them to shooting cannonballs that are ineffective against a powerful vizier. They mention old violets without a hummingbird, symbolizing unfulfilled desires and unrequited love. The reference to wanting to wear a straightjacket or a "shirt of Venus" implies a desire to escape their own thoughts or to engage in unconventional and possibly risky behaviors.
The song further explores the singer's disillusionment with their relationship, as they state that they will not derive pleasure from it or waste their lipstick by kissing their partner. The mention of a truck and being knocked out on the canvas suggests a desire to escape or overcome the struggles of the relationship. The lyrics also touch on the singer's realization that their youthful infatuation has ended and that they have been psychologically bound to their partner's ankle.
Overall, "Chão de Giz" portrays a complex mix of emotions, from loneliness and frustration to a sense of resignation and an urge to move on from a troubled relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Desço dessa solidão
I descend from this loneliness
Espalho coisas sobre um chão de giz
I scatter things on a chalk floor
Há meros devaneios tolos a me torturar
There are mere foolish fantasies tormenting me
Fotografias recortadas em jornais de folhas
Clippings of photographs in leafy newspapers
Amiúde
Frequently
Eu vou te jogar
I'm going to throw you away
Num pano de guardar confetes
In a cloth to keep confetti
Eu vou te jogar num pano de guardar confetes
I'm going to throw you in a cloth to keep confetti
Disparo balas de canhão
I shoot cannonballs
É inútil, pois existe um grão-vizir
It's useless, for there is a vizier
Há tantas violetas velhas sem um colibri
There are so many old violets without a hummingbird
Queria usar quem sabe
Uma camisa de força
Ou de Vênus
Maybe I wanted to wear a straitjacket
Or a Venus shirt
Mas não vou gozar de nós
But I won't derive pleasure from us
Apenas um cigarro
Just one cigarette
Nem vou lhe beijar
Nor will I kiss you
Gastando assim o meu batom
Wasting my lipstick like that
Agora pego um caminhão
Now I catch a truck
Na lona vou a nocaute outra vez
Once again I'm knocked out on the canvas
Pra sempre fui acorrentada
I was forever chained
No seu calcanhar
To your heel
Meus vinte anos de boy
My twenty years as a boy
That's over, baby
That's over, baby
Freud explica
Freud explains
Não vou me sujar
I won't get dirty
Fumando apenas um cigarro
Just smoking a cigarette
Nem vou lhe beijar
Nor will I kiss you
Gastando assim o meu batom
Wasting my lipstick like that
Quanto ao pano dos confetes
As for the cloth of confetti
Já passou meu carnaval
My carnival has already passed
E isso explica porque o sexo
And that explains why sex
É assunto popular
Is a popular subject
No mais estou indo embora, baby
Furthermore, I am leaving, baby
No mais estou indo embora
Furthermore, I am leaving
No mais, embora, baby, baby
Furthermore, goodbye, baby, baby
No mais, estou indo embora
Furthermore, I am leaving
No mais, estou indo embora, baby, baby (no mais)
Furthermore, I am leaving, baby, baby (furthermore)
No mais, estou indo embora, baby
Furthermore, I am leaving, baby
No mais, estou indo embora
Furthermore, I am leaving
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jose Ramalho
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind