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.
Paraiba
Luiz Gonzaga Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
E Mandacaru secou
Quando o Ribação de sede
Bateu asa e voou
Foi aí que eu vim me embora
Carregando a minha dor
Hoje eu mando um abraço
Pra ti pequenina
Muié macho, sim sinhô
Eita pau pereira
Que em princesa já roncou
Eita Paraíba
Muié macho sim sinhô
Eita pau pereira
Meu bodoque não quebrou
Hoje eu mando
Um abraço pra ti pequenina
Paraíba masculina,
Muié macho, sim sinhô
Quando a lama virou pedra
E Mandacaru secou
Quando arribação de sede
Bateu asa e voou
Foi aí que eu vim me embora
Carregando a minha dor
Hoje eu mando um abraço
Pra ti pequenina
Paraíba masculina,
Muié macho, sim sinhô
Eita, eita
, these lyrics are from the iconic song "Paraíba" by Luiz Gonzaga, one of Brazil's most beloved musical legends. The song pays homage to the state of Paraíba, which is located in the country's northeastern region, and celebrates the resilient spirit of its people.
The lyrics describe a time of hardship, when the land was so dry that even the cactus plants withered away and the rivers turned to stone. In the face of this adversity, the singer decides to leave, carrying his pain with him. But he sends a message of solidarity to the "Paraíba masculina," the strong and courageous women of the state, who have endured and persevered through difficult times.
Through its use of regional dialect and vivid imagery, the song captures the essence of the northeastern Brazilian culture, which is known for its rich history, music, and traditions. The reference to the "pau pereira," a type of tree that was once used for making bows and arrows, and the mention of the "bodoque," a type of slingshot made from forked branches, are examples of the local knowledge and customs that have been passed down through generations.
Overall, "Paraíba" is a powerful tribute to the resilience of the human spirit, and a celebration of the unique cultural heritage of Brazil's northeastern region.
Line by Line Meaning
Quando a lama virou pedra
When the mud turned into a rock
E Mandacaru secou
And Mandacaru cactus dried
Quando o Ribação de sede
When Ribão became thirsty
Bateu asa e voou
Flapped its wings and flew away
Foi aí que eu vim me embora
That's when I left
Carregando a minha dor
Carrying my pain with me
Hoje eu mando um abraço
Today, I send a hug
Pra ti pequenina
To you, my little one
Paraíba masculina
Masculine Paraíba state
Muié macho, sim sinhô
A tough woman, yes sir
Eita pau pereira
Oh, what a strong tree
Que em princesa já roncou
That already snored like a princess
Eita Paraíba
Oh, Paraíba state
Muié macho sim sinhô
A tough woman, yes sir
Eita pau pereira
Oh, what a strong tree
Meu bodoque não quebrou
My slingshot didn't break
Hoje eu mando
Today, I send
Um abraço pra ti pequenina
A hug to you, my little one
Paraíba masculina
Masculine Paraíba state
Muié macho, sim sinhô
A tough woman, yes sir
Quando a lama virou pedra
When the mud turned into a rock
E Mandacaru secou
And Mandacaru cactus dried
Quando arribação de sede
When Ribão became thirsty
Bateu asa e voou
Flapped its wings and flew away
Foi aí que eu vim me embora
That's when I left
Carregando a minha dor
Carrying my pain with me
Hoje eu mando um abraço
Today, I send a hug
Pra ti pequenina
To you, my little one
Paraíba masculina
Masculine Paraíba state
Muié macho, sim sinhô
A tough woman, yes sir
Contributed by Elizabeth J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Anne Sousa
Quando a lama virou pedra
E Mandacaru secou
Quando a ribaçã de sede
Bateu asa e voou
Foi aí que eu vim me embora
Carregando a minha dor
Hoje eu mando um abraço
Pra ti pequenina
Paraíba masculina
Muié macho, sim sinhô
Paraíba masculina
Muié macho, sim sinhô
Eita pau pereira
Que em princesa já roncou
Eita Paraíba
Muié macho sim sinhô
Eita pau pereira
Meu bodoque não quebrou
Hoje eu mando
Um abraço pra ti pequenina
Paraíba masculina
Muié macho, sim sinhô
Paraíba masculina
Muié macho, sim sinhô
Quando a lama virou pedra
E Mandacaru secou
Quando a ribaçã de sede
Bateu asa e voou
Foi aí que eu vim me embora
Carregando a minha dor
Hoje eu mando um abraço
Pra ti pequenina
Paraíba masculina
Muié macho, sim sinhô
Paraíba masculina
Muié macho, sim sinhô
Eita eita
Muié macho, sim sinhô
Eita eita
Muié macho, sim sinhô
Muié macho, sim sinhô
Muié macho, sim sinhô
Victt Grassi
Paródia Patos PB
Eu vim de Patos meu sotaque arretado
Então não critique seu abestado
Quarta maior cidade não é para poucos não
O povo daqui tem um grande coração
Patos é o meu amor
Patos é minha paixão
2x
Eita cuscuz com ovo
É o que alimenta o nosso povo
Eita Patos é o meu amor Patos é minha paixão
Eita cuscuz com ovo
O calor tá de matar
O povo daqui tem um grande coração
Airton Aragao
Me lembro do Mestre carpinteiro fazendo as porteiras da nossa fazenda e cantando alegremente esta música.
Saudades da boa!
DJVQ2104
Vc chegou a conhecer ele?
Josiane Ferreira
@DJVQ2104 00000⁰
Anne Sousa
Quando a lama virou pedra
E Mandacaru secou
Quando a ribaçã de sede
Bateu asa e voou
Foi aí que eu vim me embora
Carregando a minha dor
Hoje eu mando um abraço
Pra ti pequenina
Paraíba masculina
Muié macho, sim sinhô
Paraíba masculina
Muié macho, sim sinhô
Eita pau pereira
Que em princesa já roncou
Eita Paraíba
Muié macho sim sinhô
Eita pau pereira
Meu bodoque não quebrou
Hoje eu mando
Um abraço pra ti pequenina
Paraíba masculina
Muié macho, sim sinhô
Paraíba masculina
Muié macho, sim sinhô
Quando a lama virou pedra
E Mandacaru secou
Quando a ribaçã de sede
Bateu asa e voou
Foi aí que eu vim me embora
Carregando a minha dor
Hoje eu mando um abraço
Pra ti pequenina
Paraíba masculina
Muié macho, sim sinhô
Paraíba masculina
Muié macho, sim sinhô
Eita eita
Muié macho, sim sinhô
Eita eita
Muié macho, sim sinhô
Muié macho, sim sinhô
Muié macho, sim sinhô
Janiele Lima
2023 e não me canso de ouvir Luiz Gonzaga, eu amo sim sinhô!♥️
Edenir Queiroz
Meu Nordeste é lindo de mais!!
chocotony do nordeste
WALT PETER ANIMATION STUDIOS ™ paraíba meu país
Maria Gomes de Souza Silva Gomed
Parabéns ao Artista que é eterno. Só fez sucesso quando se voltou para o sertão do Nordeste e cantou as poesias do povão do nordeste.
Joseronaldo Dias
Eterno Rei do Baião, inesquecível
Van Santos
Orgulho de ser Paraíbano 😍