Born José Gomes Filho, in Paraíba, Brazil, a region in the northeast of the country, Jackson do Pandeiro's mother, Flora Mourão, was a musician and singer who played several percussion instruments.
As a child he had originally wanted to play the accordion, but his parents could not afford it and bought him a pandeiro, a type of tambourine, in its place. He began playing music with the zabumba, however, in order to assist his mother in performances. When Jackson was 13 years old his family moved to Campina Grande, a city in Paraíba. After the move, Jackson lived in João Pessoa, where he performed in various cabarets and on the radio; and also to Recife, where he eventually began working in a radio station and took the pseudonym of Jackson do Pandeiro. Originally his mother had nicknamed him "Jack", after the actor Jack Perry, who played parts in cowboy films which were popular in Brazil during Jackson's youth. He had his first hit with "Sebastiana", a song based on traditional Brazilian rhythms.
The single was followed by a number of albums that were successful with audiences throughout Brazil. Soon after, he joined his future wife Almira Castilhos de Albuquerque on a trip to Rio de Janeiro, financed by his recent success. The two had been performing in a duo together and were eventually married in October 1954. However, the duo and marriage were jointly ended in 1967, and Jackson's popularity diminished soon after. Jackson did find some greater success later, though, when the popular singer and guitarist Gilberto Gil, as well as the singer Gal Costa, recorded some of his material in 1972.
Discography
1954: Sua Majestade - o Rei do Ritmo
1955: Jackson do Pandeiro
1956: Forró do Jackson
1957: Jackson e Almira - Os Donos do Ritmo
1958: Forró do Jackson
1959: Jackson do Pandeiro
1960: Cantando de Norte a Sul
1961: Ritmo, Melodia e a Personalidade de Jackson do Pandeiro
1961: Mais Ritmo
1962: A Alegria da Casa
1962: ...É Batucada!
1963: Forró do Zé Lagoa
1964: Tem Jabaculê
1964: Coisas Nossas
1965: ...E Vamos Nós!
1966: O Cabra da Peste
1967: A Braza do Norte
1970: Aqui Tô Eu
1971: O Dono do Forró
1972: Sina de Cigarra
1973: Tem Mulher, Tô Lá
1974: Nossas Raízes
1975: A Tuba da Muié
1976: É Sucesso
1977: Um Nordestino Alegre
1978: Alegria Minha Gente
1980: São João Autêntico de Jackson do Pandeiro
1981: Isso é que é Forró!
Tombou O Pau
Jackson do Pandeiro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Já tombou o pau
Lá na mata da quebrada
Já tombou o pau
Pinheiro,jacarandá
É sucupira é pau-pereira
Tudo isto é madeira
E o lenhador
Ao compasso do machado
Diz um verso improvisado
Nessa trova popular
The lyrics of the song "Tombou O Pau" by Jackson do Pandeiro talk about logging and the rhythm of the axes chopping down trees. The first two lines, "Já tombou o pau / Já tombou o pau" mean "The tree has already fallen" and it is repeated twice to emphasize the fact that a tree has been cut down. The third line, "Lá na mata da quebrada" means "In the broken forest," implying that the forest is being destroyed, and it is also repeated.
The second stanza mentions different types of trees that are being cut down, including Pinheiro, Jacarandá, and Pau-pereira, highlighting the profit that is being made from logging. The line "Que bom dinheiro nos dá," which means "What good money it gives us," reinforces the idea that the destruction of the forest is motivated by economic gain.
The final stanza tells the story of the lumberjack who is working hard and improvising verses to pass the time. The line "Ao compasso do machado" means "To the rhythm of the axe" and reveals the musicality of the logging work, with the chopping of trees forming a beat for creative expression.
Line by Line Meaning
Já tombou o pau
The tree has fallen
Já tombou o pau
The tree has fallen
Lá na mata da quebrada
In the forest of the valley
Já tombou o pau
The tree has fallen
Pinheiro, jacarandá
Pine, jacaranda
É sucupira é pau-pereira
It's sucupira, it's pau-pereira
Tudo isto é madeira
All of this is wood
Que bom dinheiro nos dá
That gives us good money
E o lenhador
And the lumberjack
Ao compasso do machado
To the rhythm of the axe
Diz um verso improvisado
Says an improvised verse
Nessa trova popular
In this popular tune
Contributed by Cameron R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.