Jorge Mautner, stage name of Henrique Jorge Mautner (Rio de Janeiro, Januar… Read Full Bio ↴Jorge Mautner, stage name of Henrique Jorge Mautner (Rio de Janeiro, January 17, 1941) is a singer, composer and writer in Brazil.
Son of Anna Illichi of Yugoslav origin and Catholic, and Paul Mautner, an austrian jew, Jorge Mautner was born shortly after his parents landed in Brazil: "I was born here a month after my parents arrived in Brazil, fleeing the Holocaust" .
In 1948, his parents divorced. Anna married the violinist Henri Muller and moved to São Paulo. Henri George teaches George the violin.
Mautner begins to write his first book, "Deus da chuva e da morte" at age 15. The book was published in 1962 and consists, with "Kaos" (1964) and "Narciso em tarde cinza" (1966), of the trilogy now known as the Kaos mythology.
In 1962, adheres to the Brazilian Communist Party, invited by Professor Mario Schenberg to participate, with Jose Roberto Aguilar, in a cultural cell in the Central Committee.
After the 1964 military coup, Mautner is arrested. He is released under the condition that he will express himself more "carefully". In 1966, he goes to the United States, where he works at UNESCO and works in translation for Brazilian books. He also gave lectures on these books for the Inter-American Literature. Since 1967, he starts working as secretary to the poet Robert Lowell; he meets Paul Goodman, sociologist, poet and anarchist peace activist of the New Left, from whom he receives significant influence.
In 1970, he goes to London, where he approaches Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil. Back to Brazil he starts writing in the journal O Pasquim. At this time, Nelson Jacobina knows who will be his musical partner in the following decades.
On December 10,1973, the toughest period of military dictatorship, he participates in the Banquete dos Mendigos, show-manifesto conceived and directed by Jards Macalé, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. With UN support, the show takes place at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, transformed into "free territory", and results in double-album recorded live. The album was banned for six years by the military regime and only released in 1979.
Mautner releases in 1987, with Gilberto Gil, the movement "Figa Brasil" on the show O Poeta e o Esfomeado. Figa Brasil is linked to the Kaos movement, and aims to discuss issues related to Brazilian culture.

Among his musical achievements recorded by great names of MPB are included the songs O vampiro (Caetano Veloso), Maracatu atômico (Gilberto Gil e Chico Science & Nação Zumbi), Lágrimas negras (Gal Costa), Samba dos animas (Lulu Santos) Rock Comendo Cereja, O vampiro e Samba Jambo com (Jonge).

Samba dos animais
Jorge Mautner Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

O homem antigamente falava
Com quem? com quem? com quem?
Com a cobra, o jabuti e o leão
Olha o macaco na selva
Aonde? aonde? ali no coqueiro!
Mas não é macaco baby, é meu irmão!
Porém durou pouquíssimo tempo
Essa incrível curtição

Pois o homem, rei do planeta
Logo fez sua careta
E começõu a sua civilização
Agora já é tarde
Ninguém nunca volta jamais
O jeito é tomar um foguete
É comer desse banquete
Para obter a paz - aquela paz
Que a gente tinha quando falava com os animais
Quém, quém, quém
Miau, miau

Au, au, au, au
Bom dia dona Cabrita, como é que vai?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Jorge Mautner’s “Samba dos animais” touch upon the idea of human beings once being able to communicate and coexist with animals, but as humans evolved and built civilizations, they lost this connection. The verses begin with a nostalgic tone, reflecting on a time when humans lived in harmony with animals, able to communicate and engage with them. The first line asks: “The man used to talk back then / With whom? With whom? With whom? / With the snake, the turtle, and the lion”. Through this, the song emphasizes that there was once a time when humans could speak to and understand animals. The lyrics even mention seeing a monkey in a coconut tree, which the singer clarifies is not just a monkey, but their brother. This sense of unity and interconnectedness between all species is challenged by the evolution of human civilization, marked by the line: “But it lasted very little time / This incredible fun”.

The second half of the song describes the current reality of the world, where people have lost their connection to nature and fellow animals. The line “Now it’s too late / No one ever returns” expresses that the damage of civilization and human progress cannot be undone. However, the song offers a solution in the form of a “rocket” or “banquet,” which could bring back the peace that came with the lost connection to nature. The final line of the song reflects on the simplicity and beauty of being able to talk to animals, with the singer saying: “Good morning, Mrs. Cabrita, how are you?”

Line by Line Meaning

O homem antigamente falava
In the past, humans used to communicate with animals.

Com quem? com quem? com quem?
With whom? With whom? With whom?

Com a cobra, o jabuti e o leão
They communicated with animals like snakes, tortoises, and lions.

Olha o macaco na selva
Look at the monkey in the jungle,

Aonde? aonde? ali no coqueiro!
Where? Where? Over there, on the coconut tree!

Mas não é macaco baby, é meu irmão!
But it's not just a monkey, it's my brother!

Porém durou pouquíssimo tempo
However, this interaction didn't last long.

Essa incrível curtição
This incredible joy.

Pois o homem, rei do planeta
Because the man, the king of the planet,

Logo fez sua careta
Soon made a face

E começõu a sua civilização
And started his civilization.