Lobão, born João Luiz Woerdenbag Filho (Rio de Janeiro, October 11, 1957) i… Read Full Bio ↴Lobão, born João Luiz Woerdenbag Filho (Rio de Janeiro, October 11, 1957) is a Brazilian rock and MPB singer. He also plays the drums and guitar. Lobão has a reputation for having little inhibition in expressing his opinions bluntly and publicly criticizing fellow musicians, which led to a notable number of estrangements and
enmities.

His best-known recent estrangements is a break-up with the record industry. Claiming that all major labels are conspiring to deceive their own artists (by under reporting sales and using piracy as a scapegoat), he set an independent distribution plan to sell music CDs on newsstands and the Internet.

Thus far, this endeavor has been very successful: his recent albums sold well and were critically acclaimed. He also created a magazine, Outracoisa (literally: "Something else" or "Another thing"), which comes bundled with a music CD of independent artists.

Bambina
Lobão Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

She was born in the end of 1900
Bambina ritorna alla casa
Papa'd say eat soja-beans
And put in your hard-time jeans
He'd shoot me up to go to school
Then give me pills to keep me cool.
Bambina ritorna alla casa
I was eight, I felt out of shape

I guess I needed something to get straight
The casual-capsule was the only scape.
Though papa thought it was disgusting to take.
Bambina ritorna alla casa
Dad got shocked, red and green
"What the neighbors think seeing you clean"
I ran away on a foggy day,
Met E.T., feeling just like me.
Bambina, ritorna alla casa.
He took me up to the martian meadows
Where now my nu-nuclear plant grows
Happy with my Hologram-home,
My youngest baby-clone, papa talks
on the T.V. Phone
Bambina ritorna alla casa

Bambina guarda la macchina
(Fear of Bombs High-Technology, Radio Activity) .

Overall Meaning

The song "Bambina" by Brazilian artist Lobão revolves around a girl named Bambina who was born in the early 1900s. The lyrics suggest that Bambina grew up in a strict household where her father emphasized the importance of hard work and eating healthy food like soya beans. However, Bambina felt out of shape when she was just eight years old and turned to pills to feel better. Her father was shocked when he found out and didn't approve of her taking pills. Bambina ran away from home and met E.T. whom she felt understood her.

The song takes a turn when Bambina reveals that she's happy with her life now. She lives in a hologram home with her baby clone and has a nuclear plant that grows in Martian meadows. The lyrics suggest a dystopian future where high technology, radioactivity, and fear of bombs are a constant threat. Lobão seems to be conveying the idea that, despite the issues the world faces, there's still a chance for happiness and contentment.

Line by Line Meaning

She was born in the end of 1900
The singer of the song was born in the late 1900s

Bambina ritorna alla casa
Bambina returns home

Papa'd say eat soja-beans
Her father encouraged her to eat soybeans

And put in your hard-time jeans
He wanted her to wear tough clothes for difficult times

He'd shoot me up to go to school
He would give her injections to go to school

Then give me pills to keep me cool.
Her father gave her pills to keep her calm

I was eight, I felt out of shape
At eight years old, she felt physically and mentally unwell

I guess I needed something to get straight
She thought she needed something to feel better

The casual-capsule was the only scape.
She turned to casual drug use as a way to escape her problems

Though papa thought it was disgusting to take.
Her father disapproved of her drug use

Dad got shocked, red and green
Her father was shocked and angry

"What the neighbors think seeing you clean"
He was worried about what the neighbors would think if she stopped using drugs

I ran away on a foggy day,
She ran away on a foggy day

Met E.T., feeling just like me.
She met E.T. and felt a connection with him

He took me up to the martian meadows
E.T. took her to the Martian meadows

Where now my nu-nuclear plant grows
She now has a nuclear power plant there

Happy with my Hologram-home,
She is happy with her holographic home

My youngest baby-clone, papa talks on the T.V. Phone
She has a baby clone, and her father talks to her on a TV phone

Bambina guarda la macchina
Bambina looks at the machine (possibly referring to her nuclear power plant) and fears the dangers of bombs, high technology and radioactivity

Contributed by Owen K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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