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.
Ovo de Codorna
Luiz Gonzaga Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
O meu problema ele tem que resolver
Eu quero um ovo de codorna pra comer
O meu problema ele tem que resolver
Eu 'to madurão
Passei da flor da idade
Mas ainda tenho
Alguma mocidade
Pra não acontecer
Vou comprar ovo de codorna
Pra comer
Eu quero um ovo de codorna pra comer
O meu problema ele tem que resolver
Eu quero um ovo de codorna pra comer
O meu problema ele tem que resolver
Eu já procurei
Um doutor meu amigo
Ele me falou
"Pode contar comigo"
Ele me ensinou
E eu passo pra você
Vou lhe dar ovo de codorna pra comer
Eu quero um ovo de codorna pra comer
O meu problema ele tem que resolver
Eu quero um ovo de codorna pra comer
O meu problema ele tem que resolver
Eu andava triste
Quase apavorado
Estavam me fazendo
De um pobre coitado
Minha companheira
'Tá feliz porque
Eu comprei ovo de codorna pra comer
Eu quero um ovo de codorna pra comer
O meu problema ele tem que resolver
Eu quero um ovo de codorna pra comer
O meu problema ele tem que resolver
Eu 'to madurão
Passei da flor da idade
Mas ainda tenho
Alguma mocidade
Vou cuidar de mim
Pra não acontecer
Vou comprar ovo de codorna
Pra comer
Eu quero um ovo de codorna pra comer
O meu problema ele tem que resolver
Eu quero um ovo de codorna pra comer
O meu problema ele tem que resolver
The lyrics of Luiz Gonzaga's song "Ovo de Codorna" talk about the singer's desire to eat a quail's egg in order to solve his problems. The song starts with the repetition of the line "Eu quero um ovo de codorna pra comer," meaning "I want a quail's egg to eat." The singer believes that by consuming this specific food, his problems will be resolved.
Throughout the song, the lyrics also express the singer's concerns about aging. He states that he is "madurão" or matured and has surpassed the "flower of age." However, he still possesses some youthfulness and wants to take care of himself to prevent any further issues. In this context, the quail's egg becomes a symbol of vitality and rejuvenation.
The singer seeks advice from a doctor friend who assures him, "Pode contar comigo" or "You can count on me." The doctor teaches him about the benefits of eating quail's eggs and promises to provide him with the same. The singer concludes that his partner is happy because he bought quail's eggs to eat, suggesting that it has positively impacted his well-being.
Line by Line Meaning
Eu quero um ovo de codorna pra comer
I desire a quail egg to eat
O meu problema ele tem que resolver
Because it can solve my problem
Eu 'to madurão
I am matured
Passei da flor da idade
I have passed the prime of youth
Mas ainda tenho
Nevertheless, I still possess
Alguma mocidade
Some youthfulness
Vou cuidar de mim
I will take care of myself
Pra não acontecer
So that it does not happen
Vou comprar ovo de codorna
I will buy quail eggs
Pra comer
To eat
Eu já procurei
I have already sought
Um doutor meu amigo
A doctor friend of mine
Ele me falou
He told me
"Pode contar comigo"
"You can count on me"
Ele me ensinou
He taught me
E eu passo pra você
And I pass it on to you
Vou lhe dar ovo de codorna pra comer
I will give you quail eggs to eat
Eu andava triste
I used to walk in sadness
Quase apavorado
Almost terrified
Estavam me fazendo
They were making me
De um pobre coitado
Into a pathetic person
Minha companheira
My companion
'Tá feliz porque
Is happy because
Eu comprei ovo de codorna pra comer
I bought quail eggs to eat
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Severino Ramos De Oliveira
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Francisco Romunilson Bezerra de sousa Romunilson
Jamais existirá outro eterno Gonzagão
Blabla Severo
Não sou antigo mas esse cara canta muito, amo as músicas dele, me dar alegria e paz.
Leaxdro
me da fome
Arnaldo teles dos Santos
0
Arnaldo teles dos Santos
0
Maria Marlene Janelas
Professor de violão, mandou eu treinar essa música, acompanhando na música original. Kkk muito rápida, mas tô quase conseguindo. Embora prefira cantando devagar.
Roziclea Tavares
Que saudade do meu falecido pai e meus tios que tocavam essa música nas tardes de sábado....Grande Luiz Gonzaga fez parte da minha infância
Jose Brito
Melhor cantor do mundo 🌎
GEMAS DO BRASIL
Lembro dessa música quando tinha 10 anos e não entendia a Letra, kkkk
Matheus Uzumake
@Maria Marlene Janelas me explica kkkkkkk eu n entendi