The son of a peasant and accordion player, he was attracted to the 8-bass accordion at an early age, although he started out by accompanying his father by playing the zabumba (a type of bass drum) and singing at parties and religious celebrations. He left home in 1930 to join the army, and toured Brazil with an army band until 1939. Gonzaga decided to remain in Rio de Janeiro with a recently purchased accordion. He performed in the streets and in bars, playing boleros, waltzes and tangos.
After noticing that the Northeastern immigrants missed the music from their hometowns, he started to give listeners the sort of music they craved to hear: xaxados, baiões, chamegos and cocos. At Ary Barroso’s talent show, Luiz Gonzaga played his chamego "Vira e Mexe" and was acclaimed by the audience and by the dreaded host, who gave him the highest score.
In 1943, he dressed up in typical Northeastern costumes for the first time to perform live, and got hyped. Later on, as well as playing popular tunes on the accordion, he began to sing his own material, and his skills as a songwriter were revealed.
Gonzaga's son, Luiz Gonzaga do Nascimento Júnior, known as Gonzaguinha, born 1945, was also a noted Brazilian singer and composer.
His greatest hit ever, "Asa Branca" (written with Humberto Teixeira), was recorded in 1947 and was covered countless times by many different artists. He worked on the radio until 1954, enjoying huge popularity. He is widely recognized for singlehandedly taking the baião style and the accordion to a wide audience. For a time RCA (now BMG), his recording label, was almost exclusively dedicated to printing his singles and albums. During the 60's, as the public taste shifted to bossa nova and iê-iê-iê, he found himself increasingly stranded from big city stages, so he toured the countryside, where his popularity never abated.
In the 70s and 80s, he slowly re-emerged, partly due to covers of his songs by famous artists like Geraldo Vandré, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, his son Gonzaguinha and Milton Nascimento. Some of his greatest hits are "Vozes da Seca" ("Voices From Drought"), "Algodão" ("Cotton"), "A Dança da Moda" ("The Dance In Fashion"), "ABC do Sertão" ("The ABC of Sertão"), "Derramaro o Gai" ("They Spilt the Gas"), "A Letra I" ("The 'i' letter"), "Imbalança" ("Shake It"), "A Volta da Asa-Branca" ("The Return Of The Picazuro Pigeon"), "Cintura Fina" ("Slender Waist"), "O Xote das Meninas" ("The Girls' Schottische", written with Zé Dantas, and "Juazeiro", "Paraíba", "Mangaratiba", "Baião-de-Dois", "No Meu Pé de Serra" ("There In My Homeland"), "Assum Preto" ("Blue-back Grassquit"), "Légua Tirana" ("Tyrannical league"), "Qui Nem Jiló" ("Like Solanum gilo", written with Humberto Teixeira. Other successful collaborations resulted in "Tá Bom Demais" ("It's Very Good") (with Onildo de Almeida), "Danado de Bom" ("Very Good") (with João Silva), "Dezessete e Setecentos" ("Seventeen And Seven hundred") and "Cortando o Pano" ("Cutting Cloth") (both with Miguel Lima).
Gonzaga died of natural causes at the age of 76.
Balança A Rede
Luiz Gonzaga Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oi, balança, o menino Sinhá
Balança a rede pro menino não chorar
Oi, balança, o menino Sinhá
Balança a rede pro menino não chorar
Oi, balança, o menino Sinhá
Balança a rede pro menino não chorar
Oi, balança, o menino Sinhá
Eu fui menino tão mimado e manhoso
Criado dengoso cresci sem apanhar
E minha mãe, se eu choromingava
Depressa mandava a Sinhá me embalar
Balança, Sinhá
Oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh
Balança a rede pro menino não chorar
Oi, balança, o menino Sinhá
Balança a rede pro menino não chorar
Oi, balança, o menino Sinhá
Balança a rede pro menino não chorar
Oi, balança, o menino Sinhá
Balança a rede pro menino não chorar
Oi, balança, o menino Sinhá
Depois de grande nunca mais fui mimado
Mundo malvado, só faz me malatratar
Vivo chorando, tropeçando na vida
Sem mamãe querida pra me embalar
Balança, Sinhá
The lyrics of the song Balança A Rede convey the sentiment of nostalgia and longing for the comfort and security of childhood. The singer, who is now grown-up, reminisces about his childhood, which he describes as being pampered and spoiled by his mother. Whenever he would cry or fuss, his mother would quickly send Sinhá, who is likely a caregiver or a nanny, to soothe him and rock him gently in her arms. The refrain of the song, "Balança a rede pro menino não chorar" (Rock the cradle so the child won't cry), is repeated over and over again, emphasizing the importance of comfort and support during the early stages of life.
As the singer has entered adulthood, he reflects on how difficult and unkind the world can be. He cries frequently and struggles to navigate life without the same nurturing support he received as a child. The song's mournful melody conveys a sense of loss and longing for a time when life was simpler and more innocent. The singer's yearning for the past is captured in the repetition of the refrain, which becomes almost a prayer for the comfort and solace that he once experienced.
Line by Line Meaning
Balança a rede pro menino não chorar
Swing the hammock so that the child stops crying
Oi, balança, o menino Sinhá
Oh, swing the hammock, my dear Sinhá
Eu fui menino tão mimado e manhoso
I was such a spoiled and whiny child
Criado dengoso cresci sem apanhar
Raised with tenderness, I grew up without being disciplined
E minha mãe, se eu choromingava
And my mother, if I cried
Depressa mandava a Sinhá me embalar
Quickly sent Sinhá to rock me to sleep
Oh oh oh oh oh
N/A
Depois de grande nunca mais fui mimado
After growing up, I was never spoiled again
Mundo malvado, só faz me malatratar
The wicked world only mistreats me
Vivo chorando, tropeçando na vida
I live crying, stumbling through life
Sem mamãe querida pra me embalar
Without a dear mother to rock me to sleep
Balança, Sinhá
Rock me, Sinhá
Contributed by Charlie R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.