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.
Caboclo Nordestino
Luiz Gonzaga Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Disposto, trabalhador
No remexer da sanfona
Escuta este cantador
Que no baião fala ao mundo } bis
Teu grandioso valor
E do caboclo que vive
Trabalhando o dia inteiro
Com a maior diversão
Sem invejar a ninguém
Satisfeito a trabalhar
Cada vez mais animado
Esse teu suor pingado
Grandeza e honra te dar
Na tua humilde palhoça
Só se ver felicidade
E quando chegas da roça
Te sentas mesmo a vontade
Pra comer teu prato feito
Na mesa ou mesmo no chão
A filharada em rebanho
O teu prazer é tamanho
De quem possui um milhão
Aqui nesta vida humana
Ninguém é melhor que tu
Escuta esta homenagem
De um cabra do Pajeú
E outro do Rio Brígida } bis
Dos carrascais do Exu
The song Caboclo Nordestino by Luiz Gonzaga highlights the modest and hardworking lifestyle of the people from the northeast region of Brazil, known as the caboclos. The lyrics describe the caboclo as a humble farmer, who listens to the music played on the accordion, while he works tirelessly in the field. The singer praises the value and strength of the caboclo, who lives with the satisfaction of working hard and not being envious of others.
The song accurately portrays the simple life of a caboclo, living in a humble house where only happiness prevails, surrounded by his children, eating his meal on the floor, and feeling as though he is richer than those who have wealth. Gonzaga creates a vivid image of a caboclo’s life, and the way they find joy in the small things.
Caboclo Nordestino is a tribute to the people who make up the heart and soul of the northeast region of Brazil through their tireless work, resilience, and kindness. The song celebrates their unwavering spirit, a spirit that has made them proud of their identity and way of life, urging us to appreciate it.
Line by Line Meaning
Caboclo humilde, roceiro
A simple, countryside man of mixed ethnicity
Disposto, trabalhador
Hardworking and eager
No remexer da sanfona
While the accordion plays
Escuta este cantador
Listen to this singer
Que no baião fala ao mundo } bis
Who in the rhythm of the baião speaks to the world
Teu grandioso valor
Your great value
E do caboclo que vive
And of the caboclo who lives
Com a enxada na mão
With a hoe in hand
Trabalhando o dia inteiro
Working all day long
Com a maior diversão
With the greatest joy
Sem invejar a ninguém
Without envying anyone
Satisfeito a trabalhar
Content to work
Cada vez mais animado
More and more spirited
Esse teu suor pingado
This sweat you have shed
Grandeza e honra te dar
Gives you greatness and honor
Na tua humilde palhoça
In your humble thatched-roof house
Só se ver felicidade
One can only see happiness
E quando chegas da roça
And when you return from the field
Te sentas mesmo a vontade
You sit down at ease
Pra comer teu prato feito
To eat your cooked meal
Na mesa ou mesmo no chão
On the table or even on the ground
A filharada em rebanho
Your children as a flock
O teu prazer é tamanho
Your pleasure is immense
De quem possui um milhão
Like that of a millionaire
Aqui nesta vida humana
Here in this human life
Ninguém é melhor que tu
No one is better than you
Escuta esta homenagem
Listen to this tribute
De um cabra do Pajeú
From a man of the Pajeú region
E outro do Rio Brígida } bis
And another from the Rio Brígida region
Dos carrascais do Exu
From the shrubs of Exu
Contributed by Jasmine K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
INSTRUTOR TONY SANTOS GONZAGA
Não tem como não me emocionar, chorar, derramar um mar de lágrimas lembrando do meu pai....
Walter Freitag
Nenhum outro artista retrata a realidade do povo Nordestino em suas canções como Luiz Gonzaga.
Jorge Gomes
Caboclo nordestino meu sincero
Votos pelo que você demonstrou
Através do baião levando ao norte
E Sul inteiro sua sanfona e alegria
E simpatia valeu Luis Gonzaga
Jorge Gomes
Sanfoneiro que ho baião encantou
Ho povo nordestino sua voz asa branca voa feliz lá no pé de serra
E ho Juazeiro floresce canta Luiz Gonzaga
Eduardo Silva
Esse é um homem de valor que é decantado por esse gênio
Samuel Machado Filho
De José Marcolino, lançada pela RCA Victor em 1963 no álbum "Pisa no pilão (Festa do milho)".
Felipe ValeTambem gosto
O veio lula deixou se foi mais deixou sea marca aqui na terra
Vandelson Arante
Este é o retrato do sertanejo!
Lara Carolina carol
Vandelson Arante baulis
Edivaldo Anízio
Luiz Gonzaga sempre continuará eternizado na memória dos nordestinos.