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.
Meu Araripe
Luiz Gonzaga Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Viva seu Januário (viva)
Meu Araripe, meu relicário
Eu vim aqui rever meu pé de serra
Beijar a minha terra
Festejar seu centenário
Beijar a minha terra
Festejar seu centenário
Meu Araripe, meu relicário
Eu vim aqui rever meu pé de serra
Beijar a minha terra
Festejar seu centenário
Eu vim aqui rever meu pé de serra
Beijar a minha terra
Festejar seu centenário
Sejam bem vindos
Os filhos de Januário
Pro centenário do Araripe festejar
E a nossa festa
Não vai ser de candeia
Já tem luz que alumeia
Que os homem mandou dar
E a nossa festa
Não vai ser de candeia
Já tem luz que alumeia
Que os homem mandou dar
Quero louvar
Os grandes desse lugar
Luiz Pereira, Dona Bárbara de Alencar
E o Barão que não sai da lembrança
Que mandou buscar na França
São João e Baltazar
E o Barão que não sai da lembrança
Que mandou buscar na França
São João e Baltazar
Cadê Seu Aires, Cadê Madrinha Nenê
Dona e Donana, nova santa lá em Bahia
Cadê, Seu sete
Sinharinha dos Canário
Pra cantar com Januário
São João com alegria
Cadê, Seu sete
Sinharinha dos Canário
Pra cantar com Januário
São João com alegria
Meu Araripe, meu relicário
Eu vim aqui rever meu pé de serra
Beijar a minha terra
Festejar seu centenário
Eu vim aqui rever meu pé de serra
Beijar a minha terra
Festejar seu centenário
The lyrics to Luiz Gonzaga's song "Meu Araripe" celebrate the town of Araripe in Brazil. The song is an expression of love and nostalgia for the singer's hometown and its traditions. The repeated lines "Viva São João do Araripe" and "Viva seu Januário" are shouts of celebration and recognition for the town and its people.
The phrase "Meu Araripe, meu relicário" (My Araripe, my reliquary) conveys the deep emotional connection the singer feels towards his hometown. This connection is further emphasized with the lines "Eu vim aqui rever meu pé de serra, beijar a minha terra" (I came here to revisit my mountain foothills, kiss my land). The lyrics express a desire to celebrate Araripe's centenary and honor the town's history and traditions.
The mention of individuals like Luiz Pereira, Dona Bárbara de Alencar, and the unidentified Barão (Baron) highlights important figures in Araripe's history. The line "Que mandou buscar na França São João e Baltazar" (Who sent for São João and Baltazar from France) possibly refers to the influence of French culture in the town's celebrations, as São João and Baltazar are common names associated with traditional Brazilian festivals.
Overall, "Meu Araripe" is a heartfelt homage to Araripe, celebrating its heritage, people, and the emotional connection the singer has to his hometown.
Line by Line Meaning
Viva São João do Araripe (viva)
Let us celebrate São João do Araripe (hurray)
Viva seu Januário (viva)
Long live your Januário (hurray)
Meu Araripe, meu relicário
My Araripe, my treasure chest
Eu vim aqui rever meu pé de serra
I came here to see my foot of the mountain
Beijar a minha terra
To kiss my land
Festejar seu centenário
To celebrate its centenary
Sejam bem vindos
Welcome
Os filhos de Januário
The children of Januário
Pro centenário do Araripe festejar
To celebrate the centenary of Araripe
E a nossa festa
And our party
Não vai ser de candeia
Will not be with a candle
Já tem luz que alumeia
There is already a light that illuminates
Que os homem mandou dar
That the men have ordered to give
Quero louvar
I want to praise
Os grandes desse lugar
The great ones of this place
Luiz Pereira, Dona Bárbara de Alencar
Luiz Pereira, Dona Bárbara de Alencar
E o Barão que não sai da lembrança
And the Baron who stays in the memory
Que mandou buscar na França
Who sent for in France
São João e Baltazar
São João and Baltazar
Cadê Seu Aires, Cadê Madrinha Nenê
Where is Seu Aires, where is Madrinha Nenê
Dona e Donana, nova santa lá em Bahia
Dona and Donana, new saint in Bahia
Cadê, Seu sete
Where is Seu sete
Sinharinha dos Canário
Sinharinha dos Canário
Pra cantar com Januário
To sing with Januário
São João com alegria
São João with joy
Meu Araripe, meu relicário
My Araripe, my treasure chest
Eu vim aqui rever meu pé de serra
I came here to see my foot of the mountain
Beijar a minha terra
To kiss my land
Festejar seu centenário
To celebrate its centenary
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Joao Leocadio Da Silva, Luiz Gonzaga Do Nascimento
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Roberta Alencar
Festa inesquecível. Meu Araripe, Meu Relicário ficou cheio de visitantes. Eu era criança e morava lá. Sou bisneta de Sinô Aires, toda essa turma que ele homenageia nessa música é muito familiar para mim. Iniciei meus estudos na Escolinha construída por ele, que fez questão de colocar o nome do meu bisavô. Terminei o primário em outro prédio, esse com o nome de "Grupo Escolar Luiz Gonzaga". Saudades daquela voz tão potente, saudades dos ensaios que ele fazia na casa do meu avô.
Julio Cesar
Roberta Alencar você é história viva, uma privilegiada.
Marina Lima
Me emocionei
Maria Mercia Lins
Que história maravilhosa.
Elisa Nogueira
Que lindeza, que riqueza de infância.👏🏼👏🏼❤️❤️
Rosinha Monte
❤️❤️
Guido ALIANÇA RACIAL
Linda letra, lindo arranjo, linda interpretação, enfim LINDA CANÇÃO
LUIZ GONZAGA ETERNO💚
Francisco Neudison
NINGUÉM RETRATOU MELHOR O NORDESTE DO O VELHO LUA, APESAR DE SER PERNAMBUCANO ELE TINHA UMA RELAÇÃO MUITO FORTE COM O MEU CEARÁ. OBRIGADO POR TUDO MEU REI. NO MEU CORAÇÃO NÃO CABE TANTA SAUDADE.
Marcílio Chaves
Exato, amigo. Ele saía de Exu (PE) e ia tocar sanfona aos finais de semana na feira do Crato (CE).
Lourdes Araujo
Dai o corpo dele ter passado por Crato e Juazeiro! Uma grande homenagem de despedida do Rei do Baião