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.
La Noyée
Elba Ramalho Lyrics
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Sur la rivière du souvenir
Et moi, courant sur la rive
Je te crie de revenir
Mais, lentement, tu t'éloignes
Et dans ma course éperdue
Peu à peu, je te regagne
Un peu du terrain perdu
De temps en temps, tu t'enfonces
Dans le liquide mouvant
Ou bien, frôlant quelques ronces
Tu hésites et tu m'attends
En te cachant la figure
Dans ta robe retroussée,
De peur que te défigurent
Et la honte et les regrets
Tu n'es plus qu'une pauvre épave
Chienne crevée au fil de l'eau
Mais je reste ton esclave
Et plonge dans le ruisseau
Quand le souvenir s'arrête
Et l'océan de l'oubli,
Brisant nos cœurs et nos têtes
A jamais, nous réunit
The lyrics to Elba Ramalho's song "La Noyée" tell a poignant story of a person watching their loved one drift away on the river of memories. The singer is running desperately along the riverbank, calling out for their loved one to come back. However, despite their efforts, the loved one continues to distance themselves. Yet, as the singer runs fervently, they manage to regain some of the lost ground, slowly catching up to their loved one.
The song portrays a complex emotional journey, as the loved one occasionally sinks into the ever-changing waters or hesitates near thorny obstacles. They hide their face, lifting their skirt in fear of being disfigured by shame and regrets. The dynamics between the singer and their loved one are explored through imagery of a poor wrecked vessel, a worn-out dog floating along the currents. Despite this, the singer remains enslaved to their love, willingly diving into the stream.
As the memories come to a stop and the ocean of forgetfulness breaks both their hearts and minds, they are forever reunited.
Overall, "La Noyée" conveys themes of loss, longing, and the relentless pursuit of love. It captures the bittersweet nature of memories and the powerful hold they can have on our hearts.
Line by Line Meaning
Tu t'en vas à dérive
You drift away
Sur la rivière du souvenir
On the river of memories
Et moi, courant sur la rive
And me, running on the shore
Je te crie de revenir
I cry out for you to come back
Mais, lentement, tu t'éloignes
But slowly, you move away
Et dans ma course éperdue
And in my desperate race
Peu à peu, je te regagne
Little by little, I regain you
Un peu du terrain perdu
A bit of the lost ground
De temps en temps, tu t'enfonces
From time to time, you sink
Dans le liquide mouvant
Into the shifting liquid
Ou bien, frôlant quelques ronces
Or just brushing against some thorns
Tu hésites et tu m'attends
You hesitate and wait for me
En te cachant la figure
Hiding your face
Dans ta robe retroussée
With your dress pulled up
De peur que te défigurent
Afraid of disfigurement
Et la honte et les regrets
Both shame and regret
Tu n'es plus qu'une pauvre épave
You're nothing but a poor wreck
Chienne crevée au fil de l'eau
A tired dog in the water
Mais je reste ton esclave
But I remain your slave
Et plonge dans le ruisseau
And dive into the stream
Quand le souvenir s'arrête
When memory stops
Et l'océan de l'oubli
And the ocean of forgetfulness
Brisant nos cœurs et nos têtes
Breaking our hearts and minds
A jamais, nous réunit
Forever, it reunites us
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Serge Gainsbourg
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind