Guilherme de Brito Bollhorst was born in Vila Isabel, a traditional neighbo… Read Full Bio ↴Guilherme de Brito Bollhorst was born in Vila Isabel, a traditional neighborhood with regard to samba, the home of 12 years older Noel Rosa, with whom Guilherme was acquainted and who often gave him rides on his car. Guilherme got a cavaquinho as a present when he was 8; later he became also a violonista. With the death of his father when he was 12, Guilherme had to drop his studies and start working. He got a job at old Casa Edson, one of the first recording studios to function in Brazil. His aptitude as an artist arose at a tender age; when still a boy, he used to draw with pencils and coal.

Guilherme met his most important partner, 11 years older Nelson Cavaquinho, when the latter, already famous and known, use to play in the bars of Rio de Janeiro suburbs. In that moment, one of the most important partnerships in samba history was born.

Guilherme wrote 153 songs, the great majority being sambas, almost all of them in partnership, being 75 with Nelson Cavaquinho. They were recorded by many samba artists besides himself, such as Cartola, Elizeth Cardoso, Paulinho da Viola and especially Beth Carvalho, who had a great reverence for the work of the duo Guilherme-Nelson. Some of their most famous songs include "A Flor e O Espinho", "Quando eu me Chamar Saudade", "Pranto de Poeta", "Folhas Secas" and "Minha Festa".

Some of Guilheme's most famous verses are from the song "A Flor e O Espinho", with Nelson. They say:

Tire o seu sorriso do caminho
Que eu quero passar com a minha dor

Translation:

Take your smile away from the way
That I want to pass with my pain

As a painter, Guilherme has his works exposed in galleries across Brazil, the USA, Japan and Australia.

[edit] Discography
2003 - A Flor e o Espinho
2001 - Samba Guardado
1990 - Folhas Secas
1988 - Guilherme de Brito
1980 - Guilherme de Brito

Erva Daninha
Guilherme De Brito Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Assim sou condenado
Nem preciso de juiz
Pois só falas no que eu faço de errado
Mas não vês o bem que eu fiz
Eu sou erva daninha porque tu és a minha raiz
Tu plantaste a semente do meu mal
Ensinaste-me a ser tão desigual
Por isso vês em mim

Tanto defeito assim
Mas não é me ofendendo que serás feliz
Eu sou erva daninha porque tu és a minha raiz
Eu sou erva daninha porque tu és a minha raiz

Assim sou condenado
Nem preciso de juiz
Pois só falas no que eu faço de errado
Mas não vês o bem que eu fiz
Eu sou erva daninha porque tu és a minha raiz

Tu plantaste a semente do meu mal
Ensinaste-me a ser tão desigual
Por isso vês em mim
Tanto defeito assim
Mas não é me ofendendo que serás feliz
Eu sou erva daninha porque tu és a minha raiz

Eu sou erva daninha porque tu és a minha raiz

Eu sou erva daninha porque tu és a minha raiz
Eu sou erva daninha porque tu és a minha raiz

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Guilherme De Brito's song "Erva Daninha" are about the relationship between a person and their roots. The singer is self-condemned, as he doesn't need a judge to tell him that he's in the wrong. Despite the fact that the person who raised him constantly points out his flaws, they fail to recognize any good that he has done. However, the singer believes that he is a weed, growing out of the same root as his caretaker.

The second verse explains how the caretaker planted the seeds of the singer's "evil" and taught him to be unequal. The singer acknowledges his flaws but wants his caretaker to know that insulting him won't bring them happiness. By saying "tu és a minha raiz" (you are my root), he acknowledges the link between the two of them and that he can't escape his caretaker's influence.

The song's main message is about accepting one's flawed nature and how it is tied to the people who raised them. The use of weed as a metaphor for the singer's self-image is powerful because weeds are considered undesirable and unwanted by most gardeners. However, weeds can also be a signifier of resilience and adaptability, which could be the singer's way of coping with his flawed personality.

Line by Line Meaning

Assim sou condenado
I am already condemned, no judge needed

Nem preciso de juiz
There's no need for a judge

Pois só falas no que eu faço de errado
You only mention my mistakes

Mas não vês o bem que eu fiz
You don't see the good I've done

Eu sou erva daninha porque tu és a minha raiz
I am a weed because you are my root

Tu plantaste a semente do meu mal
You planted the seed of my wrongdoing

Ensinaste-me a ser tão desigual
You taught me to be so unequal

Por isso vês em mim
That's why you see in me

Tanto defeito assim
So many flaws

Mas não é me ofendendo que serás feliz
But you won't be happy by insulting me

Eu sou erva daninha porque tu és a minha raiz
I am a weed because you are my root