Jorge Duílio Lima Meneses, known professionally as Jorge Ben Jor, and previ… Read Full Bio ↴Jorge Duílio Lima Meneses, known professionally as Jorge Ben Jor, and previously as Jorge Ben, is a Brazilian singer, songwriter and musician.

His characteristic style fuses rock and roll, samba, bossa nova, jazz, maracatu, funk, ska and even hip hop, with lyrics that mix humor and satire, as well as themes esoteric. Jorge's work has a unique importance for Brazilian music, as it incorporates new elements in swing and guitar playing, with characteristics of North American rock, soul and funk. Furthermore, he brought Arab and African influences, coming from his mother, born in Ethiopia.

He influenced sambalanço and samba-rock and was covered and honored by countless exponents of the new generations of Brazilian music, such as Mundo Livre S/A, Os Paralamas do Sucesso, Skank, Fernanda Abreu, Racionais MC's and Belô Velloso. Jorge Ben Jor exploded with the song "Mas, Que Nada!" and, soon after, ratified his talent with another great hit, "Chove Chuva". Two songs that were neither bossa nova nor samba. Purists thought his music was too modern. It was difficult for musicians at the time to follow him, so much so that his first albums were recorded with a group that played samba jazz at Beco das Garrafas, Meirelles e os Copa 5, led by saxophonist J. T. Meirelles.

A Fonte De Paulus V
Jorge Ben Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Aguam munificientia sua
In summim iani culum
Per ductam citra tiberim totios
Urbes usui ano dominim

Naquela Praça Trelussa
Naquela Praça Romana
Onde a coruja dorme

E a águia vigia
A Fonte de Paulus V
Paulus V Pont Max
É lá que o arco iris
Descansa e bebe água
Por lá passa a cavalaria
Cavalaria marinha
Conduzindo o machado
O machado de Oxossi

Eparrei, eparrei, eparrei!
É lá que a lua e o sol
Dão brilho nas estrelas
É lá que a lua e o sol
Traçam a rota dos cometas
É lá que a lua e o sol
Fizeram a aurora boreal

Humildemente contente
Como se fosse um príncipe
Bebi da água da fonte
Que sai da boca do leão

Bebi da água da fonte
Que sai da boca do dragão

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of the song talk about the magnificence of water and its widespread availability across various regions. The imagery used here is that of water flowing through the "janus mouth," which represents entrance and exit. It is a metaphorical description of the way in which water flows in and out of different cities near the Tiber River. The subsequent lines take us to the Trelussa Square in Rome, where a fountain named after Pope Paul V is located. This fountain is the focal point of the square where one can spot an owl and an eagle watching over it. The fountain comprises the resting place for rainbows and is visited by marines who carry a machete that belongs to the Oxossi.

The chorus of the song starts with the chant "Eparrei," which has deep roots in the African religion of Candomblé. The chant is associated with the gods of the sea and healing, and it is used to call upon their blessings. The succeeding lines talk about the fountain as a place where the sun and moon give light to the stars, and where they mark the path for the comets. The last two lines take us back to the fountain, where the singer humbly drinks from the water that flows out of the lion's mouth - which is the symbolic representation of the Pope's authority - and from the dragon's mouth - which is the symbol of Paganism.

Line by Line Meaning

Aguam munificientia sua
Water, with its bountiful nature

In summim iani culum
At the top of the Janiculum Hill

Per ductam citra tiberim totios
Through aqueducts, reaching all the cities on this side of the Tiber

Urbes usui ano dominim
Cities under the dominion of the year

Naquela Praça Trelussa
In that Trastevere square

Naquela Praça Romana
In that Roman square

Onde a coruja dorme
Where the owl sleeps

E a águia vigia
And the eagle watches

A Fonte de Paulus V
The Fountain of Paul V

Paulus V Pont Max
Paul V, Supreme Pontiff

É lá que o arco iris
It is there that the rainbow