The composition was a hymn of resistance against the military government, and became a huge hit in Brazil.
Refrain:
"Vem, vamos embora
Que esperar não é saber
Quem sabe faz a hora
Não espera acontecer."
It was interpreted as a call to fight against the local dictatorship. The song acquaired second place in the festival, losing for "Sabiá", by Chico Buarque and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Still during 1968, with the AI-5 (institutional act), Vandré was exiled. After passing days in hidden farm of the widower of the great writer Guimarães Rosa (dead in the previous year), the composer left to Chile and then France.
Came back to Brazil in 1973, until then, has been living in São Paulo, still composing. Many, however, believe that Vandré has gone crazy because of supposed tortures that he might have suffered during the military dictatorial government. The musician, however, denies that he has ever been tortured and declares that he doesn't perform live shows anymore because of his image, "Che Guevara from music" which diminishes his work.
A relatively recent song contributed a lot to the madness theory spread out.The song is "Fabiana", a composition to praise the Brazilian Air Force (or "FAB"), presented in the decade of 90 in the Municipal Library of São Paulo.
Disparada
Geraldo Vandré Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pras coisas
Que eu vou contar
Eu venho lá do sertão
Eu venho lá do sertão
Eu venho lá do sertão
E posso não lhe agradar
Ver a morte sem chorar
E a morte, o destino, tudo
A morte e o destino, tudo
Estava fora do lugar
Eu vivo pra consertar
Na boiada já fui boi
Mas um dia me montei
Não por um motivo meu
Ou de quem comigo houvesse
Que qualquer querer tivesse
Porém por necessidade
Do dono de uma boiada
Cujo vaqueiro morreu
Boiadeiro muito tempo
Laço firme e braço forte
Muito gado, muita gente
Pela vida segurei
Seguia como num sonho
E boiadeiro era um rei
Mas o mundo foi rodando
Nas patas do meu cavalo
E nos sonhos
Que fui sonhando
As visões se clareando
As visões se clareando
Até que um dia acordei
Então não pude seguir
Valente em lugar tenente
E dono de gado e gente
Porque gado a gente marca
Tange, ferra, engorda e mata
Mas com gente é diferente
Se você não concordar
Não posso me desculpar
Não canto pra enganar
Vou pegar minha viola
Vou deixar você de lado
Vou cantar noutro lugar
Na boiada já fui boi
Boiadeiro já fui rei
Não por mim nem por ninguém
Que junto comigo houvesse
Que quisesse ou que pudesse
Por qualquer coisa de seu
Por qualquer coisa de seu
Querer ir mais longe
Do que eu
Mas o mundo foi rodando
Nas patas do meu cavalo
E já que um dia montei
Agora sou cavaleiro
Laço firme e braço forte
Num reino que não tem rei
Na boiada já fui boi
Boiadeiro já fui rei
Não por mim nem por ninguém
Que junto comigo houvesse
Que quisesse ou que pudesse
Por qualquer coisa de seu
Por qualquer coisa de seu
Querer ir mais longe
Do que eu
Mas o mundo foi rodando
Nas patas do meu cavalo
E já que um dia montei
Agora sou cavaleiro
Laço firme e braço forte
Num reino que não tem rei
In Disparada by Geraldo Vandré, the singer prepares the listener for a story he will tell about his life growing up in the sertão (the arid backlands of Brazil). He warns that he may not please everyone with his tale, but he has learned to face death without crying and lives to fix the wrongs in the world. He then tells a story about how he used to be a part of a cattle drive and even worked as a bull, but one day he rode a horse because the owner needed someone to do it after the original cowboy died. He became a cowboy and for a while thought he was a king, but eventually, he began to see that the world was changing, and people were not like cattle. He realized he could not continue to be a cattle driver and put himself above the people he worked with. He concludes by saying he will not change his words to please anyone and will sing elsewhere.
Disparada is considered a protest song that speaks of the injustices faced by the people of Brazil's interior regions. The song is popularly interpreted as a criticism of the country's military dictatorship, which was in place at the time of the song's release. The song has been covered by numerous artists in Brazil and internationally, including Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa, and Nara Leão. The song was banned by the military regime shortly after its release due to its revolutionary and subversive nature. As such, the song became an unofficial anthem for democracy and freedom in Brazil.
Line by Line Meaning
Prepare o seu coração
Get ready to hear what I'm about to tell you
Pras coisas
It's about some things
Que eu vou contar
That I'm going to share
Eu venho lá do sertão
I come from the countryside
E posso não lhe agradar
And you might not like what I have to say
Aprendi a dizer não
I learned to say no
Ver a morte sem chorar
To see death without crying
E a morte, o destino, tudo
And death, fate, everything
Estava fora do lugar
Was out of place
Eu vivo pra consertar
I live to fix it
Na boiada já fui boi
I was once a part of a cattle drive
Mas um dia me montei
But one day I mounted a horse
Não por um motivo meu
Not for my own reasons
Ou de quem comigo houvesse
Or anyone who was with me
Que qualquer querer tivesse
Whoever had any desire
Porém por necessidade
But out of necessity
Do dono de uma boiada
From the owner of a cattle drive
Cujo vaqueiro morreu
Whose cowboy died
Boiadeiro muito tempo
Cattle driver, for a long time
Laço firme e braço forte
With a tight lasso and a strong arm
Muito gado, muita gente
Lots of cattle, lots of people
Pela vida segurei
I held on for dear life
Seguia como num sonho
I followed like in a dream
E boiadeiro era um rei
And being a cattle driver was being a king
Mas o mundo foi rodando
But the world kept spinning
Nas patas do meu cavalo
Under the hooves of my horse
E nos sonhos
And in the dreams
Que fui sonhando
That I dreamed
As visões se clareando
The visions became clear
Até que um dia acordei
Until one day I woke up
Então não pude seguir
So then I couldn't continue
Valente em lugar tenente
Brave in place of lieutenant
E dono de gado e gente
And owner of cattle and people
Porque gado a gente marca
Because cattle are marked
Tange, ferra, engorda e mata
Herded, branded, fattened, and killed
Mas com gente é diferente
But with people, it's different
Se você não concordar
If you don't agree
Não posso me desculpar
I can't apologize
Não canto pra enganar
I don't sing to deceive
Vou pegar minha viola
I'll pick up my guitar
Vou deixar você de lado
I'll leave you be
Vou cantar noutro lugar
I'll sing somewhere else
Agora sou cavaleiro
Now I'm a knight
Num reino que não tem rei
In a kingdom without a king
Querer ir mais longe
To want to go further
Do que eu
Than me
Writer(s): geraldo vandré, théo de barros
Contributed by Camilla O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.