The youngest of the five children of José Fares, Lebanese immigrant to Brazil, and Dona Francisca, Fagner was born in Fortaleza, the capital of the state of Ceará, although his birth was recorded in Orós.
At the age of five years he won a youth competition at a local radio station. As a teen, he formed vocal and instrumental groups and began to compose his own music. In 1968 he won the Festival de Música Popular do Ceará (Popular Music Festival of Ceará) with his song "Nada Sou" (I am Nothing).
In 1971 he moved to the capital Brasília, taking first place in the Festival de Música Popular do Centro de Estudos Universitários de Brasília (Popular Music Festival of the University Studies Center of Brasília) with his piece "Mucuripe" (with collaborator Belchior), which was later recorded by artist Elis Regina, and became Fagner's first notable success as a composer. He won prizes in other categories with additional pieces, as well.
He has had a distinguished career as a performer, singer, songwriter and composer for over 3 decades, and is also known for his collaborations with other MPB artists such as Caetano Veloso, Roberta Miranda, Chico Buarque and others.
Vapor Do Luna
Fagner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dentro da paia da cana
Boto sessenta rama, cada rama boto um
Tirei um girimum e desse de ponta de rama
Comi sete semana botando trabaiador
Do talo fiz um vapor
Pra imbarca pra Itabaiana ...
La em Catende tem um moleque de aço
Ele apanha o bagaça da moenda pra caldeira
Abre a tornera do vapor pra mete cana
Trabaia toda semana só para segunda-feira
No vapor do Luna, Zé Carauna
Toca fogo no vapor do Luna ...
De Palmara pra União
É corrente e água bela
Só tem moça donzela
Só tem moça pra valer
Lá em Catende esse ano
Não houve inverno
Quero vê Zé Carauna
Botá vapor pra moe
Toca fogo no vapor do Luna, Zé Carauna ...
In "Vapor do Luna," Fagner sings about the hardworking life of a sugarcane farmer in Brazil. The lyrics describe the various tasks that the farmer performs, such as planting and harvesting sugarcane, making a steam engine out of the leftover cane stalks, and using it to transport goods to the nearby town of Itabaiana. The song also references a young boy from Catende who works in the sugarcane mill, constantly stoking the furnace with bagasse to keep the steam engine running. Filled with vivid imagery and colloquial language, "Vapor do Luna" presents a both a celebration of and a lamentation for the hardships and beauty of rural Brazilian life.
One of the interesting aspects of "Vapor do Luna" is the use of regional dialect and cultural references. Fagner, who was born in the northeastern Brazilian state of Ceará, incorporates phrases and terms commonly used in that region, such as "abroba" (a type of fruit tree) and "girimum" (pumpkin). He also references specific towns and landmarks, such as Itabaiana and the Palmara and União rivers. This local flavor gives the song a strong sense of place and history.
Line by Line Meaning
Eu aprantei um pé de abroba
I planted an abroba tree
Dentro da paia da cana
Inside the cane straw
Boto sessenta rama, cada rama boto um
I put sixty branches, one on each one
Tirei um girimum e desse de ponta de rama
I picked a girimum and hung it from the tip of a branch
Comi sete semana botando trabaiador
I ate for seven weeks while putting workers to work
Do talo fiz um vapor
From the stem, I made a steam engine
Pra imbarca pra Itabaiana
To ship to Itabaiana
Toca fogo no vapor do luna, Zé Carauna
Light up the steamer of Luna, Zé Carauna
La em Catende tem um moleque de aço
Down in Catende, there's a tough boy
Ele apanha o bagaça da moenda pra caldeira
He collects the bagasse from the mill for the boiler
Abre a tornera do vapor pra mete cana
He opens the steam tap to feed in the cane
Trabaia toda semana só para segunda-feira
He works all week just for Monday
No vapor do Luna, Zé Carauna
On the steamer of Luna, Zé Carauna
Toca fogo no vapor do Luna
Light up the steamer of Luna
De Palmara pra União
From Palmara to União
É corrente e água bela
It's a beautiful stream and water
Só tem moça donzela
There are only maiden girls
Só tem moça pra valer
There are only truly maiden girls
Lá em Catende esse ano
This year in Catende
Não houve inverno
There was no winter
Quero vê Zé Carauna
I want to see Zé Carauna
Botá vapor pra moe
Putting steam to work on the mill
Contributed by Keira I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Raimundo Felix
Conheci o cego bigode ironia em Cedro pe
Arthur Nascimento tuba drummer
Fagner usava boina espanhola bigode