João Bosco de Freitas Mucci, better known as João Bosco is a noted Brazilia… Read Full Bio ↴João Bosco de Freitas Mucci, better known as João Bosco is a noted Brazilian singer with a distinctive style as a guitarist. In the 1970s he established his reputation in MPB alongside collaborator lyricist Aldir Blanc.

Born on July 13, 1946, in Ponte Nova, Minas Gerais, João Bosco's profession was engineering when he moved to Rio de Janeiro, where his songs were also recorded by Elis Regina and were a success. He soon became admired as a versatile vocalist and a dynamic performer. João Bosco has been noted for "his singular fusion of Arab culture, Afro-American music and Brazilian styles bossa nova," influenced by American jazz.

As Mil E Uma Aldeias
João Bosco Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Pra Madagascar
Vou rumar
No sertão do Ceará
Vou passar

Eu levo um mundo
Sem fundo, repleto
De enredos, estradas

Pra gente explorar

Cafarnaum
Jericó, Jequié
Diga pra Nazaré
Que eu não tardo em chegar

Lá em Bagdá
Vou morar
E se Alá me acostumar
Vou ficar

Eu ouço os ventos
Alísios que sopram
As vozes dos mouros
A me sussurrar

E trago a cobra
Do cesto pra perto
Pra ver se ela sobe
Me ouvindo sambar, sambar

Sou navegador
Sou de meu tempo capitão, eu sou
Não preciso mais do mar

Tenho meu motor
Ligado aonde quer que eu vá
Vou sem sair do meu lugar
Estar aqui, viver aqui

Que mais isso dirá?
Sou de um país
Chamado qualquer lugar

Ofertai obi
Diamba vai
Me seduzir

Alcácer-quibir
Ifé obá
Sonhei assim

Ventres, dunas de areia
Carnaval na poeira
Sob as constelações
Simbá vem dizer

Que a terra é o mar
Ô, que sopre pra mim
Qualquer direção
Que eu topo embarcar
(Fui)

Numa vida anterior fui um xeique opulento
E nobre, tinha damas e safiras a contento
Lá, Sherazade me abrandava a noite escura
Com mil e uma doses de ternura

Vinde a mim, ó poderoso vento
Que sopra a vida de um outro momento
Já posso ver, nessa ardente loucura
As areias na terra, as estrelas na altura

Sou navegador

Sou de meu tempo capitão, eu sou
Não preciso mais do mar

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of João Bosco's "As Mil E Uma Aldeias" are a poetic representation of the singer's desire to explore new places and cultures. He mentions Madagascar and the sertão region of Ceará, expressing his willingness to travel to these distant locations. He carries with him a world without limits, full of stories and roads waiting to be explored. Through his travels, he invites others to join him in discovering the enchanting places of the world, such as Cafarnaum, Jericó, and Jequié. He promises to visit Nazaré and settle in Baghdad if Allah allows it. He blends the sights and sounds from different countries, including the voices of the Moors and the tradewinds that whisper in his ear, creating a sense of adventure and wonder.

The singer speaks of himself as a navigator or captain of his own life. He does not need the sea to navigate, as he has his own "motor" that allows him to travel wherever he desires. He embraces the nomadic life with open arms, seeing himself as a citizen of the world, rather than belonging to any particular country or place. In the end, he reminisces about a past life when he was a wealthy sheik who enjoyed the company of the legendary storyteller, Scheherazade, implying that his love for exploration is intrinsic to his nature.

Line by Line Meaning

Pra Madagascar Vou rumar No sertão do Ceará Vou passar
I am going on an adventure to Madagascar and passing through the desert of Ceará.

Eu levo um mundo Sem fundo, repleto De enredos, estradas Pra gente explorar
I am carrying a world without limits, full of stories and roads to explore.

Cafarnaum Jericó, Jequié Diga pra Nazaré Que eu não tardo em chegar
I will visit places like Cafarnaum, Jericó, and Jequié, and tell Nazaré that I will arrive soon.

Lá em Bagdá Vou morar E se Alá me acostumar Vou ficar
I plan to live in Baghdad, and if Allah makes me comfortable, I will stay.

Eu ouço os ventos Alísios que sopram As vozes dos mouros A me sussurrar
I can hear the winds and the voices of the Moors whispering to me through the Alísios wind.

E trago a cobra Do cesto pra perto Pra ver se ela sobe Me ouvindo sambar, sambar
I bring a snake from a basket close to me, to see if it can dance to the samba music I play.

Sou navegador Sou de meu tempo capitão, eu sou Não preciso mais do mar
I am a navigator and a captain of my time. I do not need the sea anymore.

Tenho meu motor Ligado aonde quer que eu vá Vou sem sair do meu lugar Estar aqui, viver aqui
I have my engine running wherever I go, and I can travel without leaving my place. I want to live here and be present.

Que mais isso dirá? Sou de um país Chamado qualquer lugar
What more can I say? I am from a country called 'anywhere.'

Ofertai obi Diamba vai Me seduzir Alcácer-quibir
I am offering myself to the spirits and ready to be seduced by the diamba in Alcácer-quibir.

Ifé obá Sonhei assim Ventres, dunas de areia Carnaval na poeira
I dreamt of Ifé obá and imagined a carnival in the dust, with bellies and sand dunes.

Sob as constelações Simbá vem dizer Que a terra é o mar Ô, que sopre pra mim Qualquer direção Que eu topo embarcar (Fui)
Under the constellations, Simbá tells me that the earth is the sea. Whichever direction the wind blows, I am ready to embark.

Numa vida anterior fui um xeique opulento E nobre, tinha damas e safiras a contento Lá, Sherazade me abrandava a noite escura Com mil e uma doses de ternura
In a previous life, I was a wealthy and noble sheik, surrounded by ladies and sapphires. There, Sherazade softened my dark night with a thousand and one doses of tenderness.

Vinde a mim, ó poderoso vento Que sopra a vida de um outro momento Já posso ver, nessa ardente loucura As areias na terra, as estrelas na altura
Come to me, oh mighty wind, which tells the story of another time. I can already see, in this burning madness, the sands on the land and the stars in the sky.

Contributed by Aaliyah O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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