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.
Legua tirana
Luiz Gonzaga Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, que légua tão tirana
Ai, se eu tivesse asa
Inda hoje eu via Ana
Quando o sol tostou as foia
E bebeu o riachão
Fui inté o juazeiro
Pra fazer a minha oração
Mas alegre o coração
Padim Ciço ouviu a minha prece
Fez chover no meu sertão
Varei mais de vinte serras
De alpercata e pé no chão
Mesmo assim, como inda farta
Pra chegar no meu rincão
Trago um terço pra das dores
Pra Reimundo um violão
E pra ela, e pra ela
Trago eu e o coração
The lyrics of Luiz Gonzaga's song Légua Tirana paints the picture of a long and arduous journey undertaken by the singer in search of their love, Ana. They express their frustration and exhaustion with the seemingly never-ending road and how they wish they had wings to fly to Ana faster. The song goes on to describe how the singer stops at a juazeiro (a type of tree considered sacred in Brazilian folklore) to pray, how they endured the scorching sun, and the refreshing relief of a rain shower that came after their prayer.
Despite the many trials and tribulations faced on this journey, the singer still comes back to their true love with a heart full of joy and a sense of peace after encountering the blessings of Padim Ciço (a saint revered in Northeastern Brazil). As they approach their destination, they carry with them gifts for their loved ones - a rosary for pain relief, a guitar for Reimundo, and the ever-present gift of their own heart for Ana.
The song's narrative essentially captures the spirit of the sertão, a region notorious for its hostile climate and living conditions. However, it also highlights the resilience and enduring spirit of the people who inhabit the land. Luiz Gonzaga's Légua Tirana is a hymn to the tenacity of the human heart in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, que estrada mais comprida
Expressing how long and tiresome the journey is
Oh, que légua tão tirana
Resenting the oppressive distance of the road
Ai, se eu tivesse asa
Fantasizing about having wings to overcome the distance
Inda hoje eu via Ana
Longing to see Ana even until now
Quando o sol tostou as foia
Referring to the heat of the sun on the leaves
E bebeu o riachão
Describing the river being drunk up by the sun
Fui inté o juazeiro
Heading to the juazeiro (a type of tree)
Pra fazer a minha oração
Going there to pray
Tô voltando estropiado
Returning back limping
Mas alegre o coração
Still having a joyful heart
Padim Ciço ouviu a minha prece
Referring to a saint hearing the prayer
Fez chover no meu sertão
Bringing rain to the dry region
Varei mais de vinte serras
Having crossed over twenty mountains
De alpercata e pé no chão
Walking barefoot with sandals
Mesmo assim, como inda farta
Still feeling incomplete, despite having traveled so far
Pra chegar no meu rincão
To finally reach my home
Trago um terço pra das dores
Bringing a prayer bead to relieve pain
Pra Reimundo um violão
Carrying a guitar for Reimundo
E pra ela, e pra ela
And for her, and for her
Trago eu e o coração
Bringing myself and my heart for her
Contributed by Arianna L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@marcelovictor757
LÉGUA TIRANA
Oh, que estrada mais comprida
Oh, que légua tão tirana
Ai, se eu tivesse asa
Inda hoje eu via Ana
Quando o sol tostou as foia
E bebeu o riachão
Fui inté o juazeiro
Pra fazer a minha oração
Tô voltando estropiado
Mas alegre o coração
Padim Ciço ouviu a minha prece
Fez chover no meu sertão
Varei mais de vinte serras
De alpercata e pé no chão
Mesmo assim, como inda farta
Pra chegar no meu rincão
Trago um terço pra das dores
Pra Reimundo um violão
E pra ela, e pra ela
Trago eu e o coração
@corretorcarneiro7769
Fantastico, coisa de gênios Luis e Humberto Teixeira eram inspirados por Deus!
@everaildesilva7319
Affffff , essa é de morrer de saudade !!!!!!!
@marianosa151
Jamais nascerá outro Luiz Gonzaga
@corretorcarneiro7769
Poesia de rarissima inspiração, seres iluminados que por aqui passaram o Luiz e o Humberto que compuseram grandes obras, entre as quais Asa Branca!
@danmessias
Sai uma lagrimazinha, se você for um nordestino.....
@JoaoPaulo-nf2ix
Não tem como não se emocionar com a voz do rei e sua poesia matuta!
@adrianodoneguim
Verdade
@miguel-gl4tb
Vdd😭
@Vitorslopes
Eu diria que até se não for nordestino viu? Não tem como não se emocionar com tamanha emoção que ele passa
@franciscalopesdasilvalima7658
E a canção da ave maria.???quem ñ chorar??