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.

Hermes Trismegisto Escreveu
Jorge Ben Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Há 2.000 anos, antes de Cristo
O Faraó Hermes Trismegisto escreveu
O maravilhoso tratado hermético
Com uma ponta de diamante
E uma lâmina de esmeralda
Que foi encontrado vários séculos depois
Pelos soldados de Alexandre, o Grande
Na famosa pirâmide de "Kinzer"

Salve Hermes Trismegisto que tem as três partes
Da Filosofia Universal
É verdade, é mentira, certo, muito verdadeiro

A tábua de esmeralda
Foi Hermes Trismegisto quem escreveu
Com uma ponta de diamante
E uma lâmina de esmeralda, ele escreveu
O que está em baixo
É como que está no alto
O que está no alto
É como que está em baixo, ele escreveu

Hermes
Trismegisto

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Jorge Ben's song Hermes Trismegisto Escreveu (Hermes Trismegistus Wrote) refer to an ancient Egyptian figure, a pharaoh named Hermes Trismegistus, who is believed to have written the Hermetic treatise, a text that is considered a cornerstone of Western esotericism. The song mentions the treatise being written 2000 years before Christ and its discovery several centuries later by Alexander the Great's soldiers in the famous Kinzer Pyramid. The song honors Hermes Trismegistus, praising him for possessing the three parts of Universal Philosophy - Truth, Lies, and Certainty.

The lyrics also mention the Emerald Tablet, which is believed to contain the essence of the Hermetic teachings. According to legend, it was written on an emerald tablet using a diamond-tipped stylus by Hermes Trismegistus himself. The Tablet is associated with the phrase "as above, so below," which means that what happens in the spiritual world reflects in the physical world and vice versa. The song states this concept, emphasizing how what is below is like what is above and what is above is like what is below.

Overall, the lyrics celebrate the wisdom and insight attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, who was a revered figure in ancient Egypt and continues to inspire those interested in spirituality, alchemy, and mysticism.

Line by Line Meaning

Há 2.000 anos, antes de Cristo
2000 years before Christ, long ago

O Faraó Hermes Trismegisto escreveu
The Pharaoh Hermes Trismegistus wrote

O maravilhoso tratado hermético
A wonderful Hermetic treatise

Com uma ponta de diamante
Using a diamond tip

E uma lâmina de esmeralda
And an emerald blade

Que foi encontrado vários séculos depois
Which was found several centuries later

Pelos soldados de Alexandre, o Grande
By the soldiers of Alexander the Great

Na famosa pirâmide de "Kinzer"
In the famous pyramid of Kinzer

Salve Hermes Trismegisto que tem as três partes
Hail Hermes Trismegistus who has the three parts

Da Filosofia Universal
Of Universal Philosophy

É verdade, é mentira, certo, muito verdadeiro
It is true, it is false, it is certain, very true