Nêga
Gilberto Gil / Jorge Ben Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You spent so blissfully
The last few days with me
Nega
I spent so nicely too
The last few days with you
Nega
The last few days with me
Nega
I spent so nicely too
The last few days with you
When I met you
When I met you, it was so fine
I didn't talk, I didn't talk a lot to you
I only mentioned, I only mentioned that you had smooth hair
You made a speech, You made a speech about shampoo
About shampoo
We let our moments
We let our moments
We took many, many, many photographs downtown
As we passed through
Nega
You spent so blissfully
The last few days with me
Nega
I spent so nicely too
The last few days with you
Nega
You spent so blissfully
The last few days with me
Nega
I spent so nicely too
The last few days with you
You've been going just where I've gone
Just where I've gone
Now, all my people you have seen
I've been doing just what you've done
You've done, you've done, you've done, you've done
Now I can dig your cup of mu tea
Mu tea, mu tea, mu tea, mu tea, mu tea, mu tea, mu tea
We let our moments, we let our moments
We let our moments, we let our moments
Become, become, become, become
Become, become, become, become
What they really had, what they really had
What they really had, what they really had
To be or not to be
To be or not to be
To be or not to be
Nega
You spent so blissfully
The last few days, the last few days
The last few days with me
Nega
I spent so nicely too, spent so nicely too
The last few days
The last few days with you
With you, with you
With you, with you
With you
Develop our photographs
As simple dreams
As simple dreams that will come true
Will come true
Perhaps, perhaps
Perhaps they will make you laugh
Make you laugh, make you laugh
Or make you sure about we two
Perhaps they will show you nothing
They will show you nothing
They will show you nothing
Nothing, nothing, but a shade of blue
They will show you nothing
Oh nega they will show you nothing
Nega they will show you nothing
But a shade of blue
Uh uh uh, uh uh
A tropical woman
My nega, my nega
Mi nega, mi nega, mi nega, mi nega
My nega, mi nega me nega
(Mi nega)
Mi nega nega
Nega, nega
Nega, nega
Nega, nega
Nega, my tropical woman
My tropical woman
My tropical woman
My tropical woman
My tropical woman
My tropical woman
My tropical woman
My tropical woman
My tropical woman
Nega
Nega (blue blue sky)
(Blue blue sky, blue blue sí)
(Blue blue sky, blue blue sí)
(Blue blue sky, blue blue sí)
(Blue blue sky, blue blue sí)
(Blue blue sky, blue blue sí)
Sky, sky and sí, sky and sí stay em sí
Sky and sí, stay em sí, sky and sí, stay em sí
So beautiful, so beauti, beauti, beauti, beauti, beauti
'Full, 'full, 'full, 'full, 'full, 'full
Oh beauti
Nega ah ah
Nega ah ah
Nega ah ah
Nega ah ah
Nega ah ah
Nega ah ah
Cabo Frio nega ah ah
Cabo Frio nega ah ah
(Blue blue sky, blue blue sí)
Cabo Frio uh
Cabo Frio uh
My tropical woman
My tropical woman
Nega
Nega
Nega
Nega
Nega
Nega
Nega
Nega
Nega
Nega
My tropical woman
Nega
Nega
You spent so blissfully
The last few days with me
Nega
Nega (throught the blue sky)
(Throught the blue sea)
Cabo Frio
Cabo Frio
The lyrics of Jorge Ben's song "Nega" are about a tropical woman, who is referred to as "nega." The song describes the last few days spent together, where they took many photographs and lived moments that could become significant memories. The first stanza suggests that both of them enjoyed each other's company, and the second stanza appears to be about their initial meeting, where the singer noticed the nega's smooth hair, and she went on to make a speech about shampoo. The repeated chorus underscores how joyous their time has been, and the singer appreciates that they share similar interests and have gone to the same places. In the middle of the song, they both share a moment over a cup of "mu tea," and the song ends with the mention of Cabo Frio, indicating that the song might be about a Brazilian beach town.
The song's lyrics have been debated for years, with some suggesting that they talk about a romantic relationship, while others indicate that it could be about Brazil's racial dynamics. The word "nega" is used to refer to a black woman, and the song could be about a white male protagonist's love for a black woman, demonstrating Brazil's complicated racial history. The lyrics also mention photographs and memories, suggesting that the singer wants to preserve these moments forever. Overall, the song's meaning is layered, and it could be interpreted in several ways.
Line by Line Meaning
You spent so blissfully
The last few days with me
You were incredibly happy while we spent the last few days together
I spent so nicely too
The last few days with you
I also had a great time with you during the last few days
When I met you
When I met you, it was so fine
Meeting you was a wonderful experience
I didn't talk, I didn't talk a lot to you
I only mentioned, I only mentioned that you had smooth hair
I didn't speak much to you, but I did mention that your hair was very nice
You made a speech, You made a speech about shampoo
About shampoo
You talked a lot about shampoo
We let our moments
We let our moments
We took many, many, many photographs downtown
As we passed through
We enjoyed our time together and took lots of photos while walking downtown
You've been going just where I've gone
Just where I've gone
Now, all my people you have seen
I've been doing just what you've done
You've done, you've done, you've done, you've done
Now I can dig your cup of mu tea
Mu tea, mu tea, mu tea, mu tea, mu tea, mu tea, mu tea
You have been following me and meeting my friends, while I have been doing the same with you. Now I understand and appreciate you more
We let our moments, we let our moments
Become, become, become, become
Become, become, become, become
What they really had, what they really had
What they really had, what they really had
To be or not to be
To be or not to be
We transformed our moments together into something meaningful, which made us consider what we really have and what our relationship can be
Develop our photographs
As simple dreams
As simple dreams that will come true
Will come true
Perhaps, perhaps
Perhaps they will make you laugh
Make you laugh, make you laugh
Or make you sure about we two
Let's develop our photos which symbolize our simple dreams that will come to fruition. They may make us laugh and be sure about our relationship
Perhaps they will show you nothing
They will show you nothing
They will show you nothing
Nothing, nothing, but a shade of blue
They will show you nothing
Oh nega they will show you nothing
Nega they will show you nothing
But a shade of blue
Uh uh uh, uh uh
The photos may not show much, but just a sad feeling of the moment. They won't show much except a blue color, and that upsets me
A tropical woman
My nega, my nega
Mi nega, mi nega, mi nega, mi nega
My nega, mi nega me nega
(Mi nega)
Mi nega nega
You are a tropical woman and my beloved partner
Nega, nega
Nega, nega
Nega, nega
Nega, my tropical woman
My tropical woman
My tropical woman
My tropical woman
My tropical woman
My tropical woman
My tropical woman
My tropical woman
My tropical woman
Nega
Nega (blue blue sky)
(Blue blue sky, blue blue sí)
(Blue blue sky, blue blue sí)
(Blue blue sky, blue blue sí)
(Blue blue sky, blue blue sí)
(Blue blue sky, blue blue sí)
Sky, sky and sí, sky and sí stay em sí
Sky and sí, stay em sí, sky and sí, stay em sí
So beautiful, so beauti, beauti, beauti, beauti, beauti
'Full, 'full, 'full, 'full, 'full, 'full
Oh beauti
Nega ah ah
Nega ah ah
Nega ah ah
Nega ah ah
Nega ah ah
Nega ah ah
Cabo Frio nega ah ah
Cabo Frio nega ah ah
(Blue blue sky, blue blue sí)
Cabo Frio uh
Cabo Frio uh
Showing appreciation for the beauty of nature and your tropical spirit. I acknowledge how beautiful and inspiring you are as my partner
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Gilberto Gil
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind