Gal became one of Brazil's foremost Tropicália counterculture movement singers during the late 1960s and early 70s, quickly earning the title as one of the best and most acclaimed singers in Brazil, following a very succesful career with many hits and prestige over the years. During Tropicália, she became a political activist, coming into conflict with Brazil's government when dissent in music was censored, and later coming to represent the movement all alone in her country when her fellow Tropicália members and friends were exhiled to London due to the heavy dictatorship that was going on at the time.
Fellow musician Caetano Veloso, introduced her to Gilberto Gil and Tom Zé in 1963 (and later Maria Bethânia), who managed to secure her a recording deal in São Paulo for her debut album Domingo with Caetano Veloso. A bit before recording her first album, "Father of Bossa Nova" João Gilberto, met her and after a couple of hours hearing Gracinha (as she was known at the time) sing for him as he was playing the acoustic guitar, he said: "Gracinha, you're Brazil's greatest female singer". In the following years, Gal would prove his statement right with a fruitful and rewarding career, and with the encouragement of João Gilberto himself; her biggest idol.
Gal has recorded songs composed by a number of Brazil's most popular songwriters such as Antônio Carlos Jobim, Jorge Ben Jor, Chico Buarque, Rita Lee and especially her close friends Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil. She was also a member of the supergroup Doces Bárbaros, active in 1976, 1994 and 2002.
Fim de Caso
Gal Costa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Que o nosso caso está na hora de acabar
Há um adeus em cada gesto, em cada olhar
O que não temos é coragem de falar
Nós já tivemos
A nossa fase de carinho apaixonado
De fazer verso, de viver sempre abraçado
Naquela base do "só vou se você for"
Fomos fcando cada dia mais sozinhos
E embora juntos cada qual tem seu caminho
E já não temos nem vontade de brigar
Tenho pensado
E Deus permita que eu esteja errada
Mas eu estou, ah, eu estou desconfiada
Que o nosso caso está na hora de acabar
The lyrics to Gal Costa's song Fim De Caso speak to the end of a relationship that has lost its passion and connection. The singer hints that something is amiss in the relationship, with "um adeus em cada gesto, em cada olhar" (a goodbye in each gesture, in each look). The couple no longer has the courage to speak about what's not working, but the singer reminisces about a time when they were deeply in love and wrote verses and clung to each other. However, over time they have grown more distant, each on their own path, and they no longer even have the energy to fight. The singer wonders if it's time to end the relationship, hoping that she is wrong but ultimately feeling "desconfiada" (suspicious).
Overall, the song captures the sadness and resignation that can come with the end of a relationship. The singer looks back on the good times but acknowledges that things have changed and that it's time to move on. The song is notable for its beautiful melody and Gal Costa's soulful vocals, which convey the emotion of the lyrics in a powerful way.
Line by Line Meaning
Eu desconfio
I suspect
Que o nosso caso está na hora de acabar
That our relationship is coming to an end
Há um adeus em cada gesto, em cada olhar
There's a goodbye in every gesture, every look
O que não temos é coragem de falar
What we lack is the courage to speak up
Nós já tivemos
We already had
A nossa fase de carinho apaixonado
Our phase of passionate affection
De fazer verso, de viver sempre abraçado
Of making poetry, of always living embraced
Naquela base do "só vou se você for"
On that basis of "I'll only go if you go"
Mas de repente
But suddenly
Fomos ficando cada dia mais sozinhos
We were becoming more and more alone every day
E embora juntos cada qual tem seu caminho
And although together, each has their own path
E já não temos nem vontade de brigar
And we don't even have the will to fight anymore
Tenho pensado
I've been thinking
E Deus permita que eu esteja errada
And God forbid that I'm wrong
Mas eu estou, ah, eu estou desconfiada
But I am, oh, I am suspicious
Que o nosso caso está na hora de acabar
That our relationship is coming to an end
Contributed by Adalyn P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.