Luiz Gonzaga do Nascimento (Exu, Pernambuco, December 13, 1912 — Recife, Pe… Read Full Bio ↴Luiz Gonzaga do Nascimento (Exu, Pernambuco, December 13, 1912 — Recife, Pernambuco, August 2, 1989) was a prominent Brazilian folk singer, songwriter, musician and poet. Born in the countryside of Pernambuco, he is considered to be responsible for the promotion of Northeastern ("nordeste") music throughout the rest of the country. He is also known as the "king of baiao" and "Gonzagão".

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.

Rosinha
Luiz Gonzaga Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Rosinha, Rosinha
Eu sou o teu vassalo
Roisnha, Rosinha
Tu és minha rainha } bis

Vou vender os meus terengue
Vou deixar minha terrinha
Meu coração tá pedindo

Pra eu rever minha Rosinha
Rosinha tá longe d' eu
Eu to longe de Rosinha
Mode ir pra perto dela
Largo inté minha mãezinha

Não quero amor de Zabé
Nem de Rute,nem Chiquinha
Só quero mesmo amor
Da minha linda Rosinha
O mundo não vale nada
Sem amor de Rosinha
Por isso vivo a sonhar
Com a minha moreninha

Por nelson de campos

Overall Meaning

Luiz Gonzaga's song Rosinha depicts a love story between the singer and a woman named Rosinha. In the first verse, the singer proclaims his devotion to her, saying that he is her vassal and she is his queen. The second verse explains that he is willing to sell his possessions and leave his home to be with her again, as his heart yearns for her. The third verse reflects on the singer's desire for Rosinha and his disinterest in other women. The final verse describes the significance of Rosinha's love in his life, stating that without her, the world means nothing to him.

The song's lyrics are a commentary on the power of love and the extent to which it can motivate people. Despite the challenges of distance and separation, the singer is willing to do whatever it takes to be reunited with his love. The lyrics also express the depth of the singer's feelings for Rosinha and the lack of interest he has in pursuing other romantic connections.

Rosinha is a classic Brazilian forró song, and it has been covered by many artists over the years. The song has become an important part of the Brazilian cultural canon and is beloved by many generations of music fans. In addition to its cultural significance, the song has also been used in various media, including the soundtrack of the 2005 Brazilian film "Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures."

Line by Line Meaning

Rosinha, Rosinha
Addressing Rosinha with reverence and fondness

Eu sou o teu vassalo
Expressing loyalty and submission to Rosinha

Roisnha, Rosinha
Repeating the address to emphasize the importance of Rosinha

Tu és minha rainha
Declaring Rosinha as the artist's queen, possessing a regal quality

Vou vender os meus terengue
Willingness to sell possessions for the sake of being near Rosinha

Vou deixar minha terrinha
Will to leave the singer's homeland for Rosinha

Meu coração tá pedindo
Feeling a strong longing in his heart for Rosinha

Pra eu rever minha Rosinha
Desire to see Rosinha again after being separated

Rosinha tá longe d' eu
Acknowledging the physical distance between the artist and Rosinha

Eu to longe de Rosinha
Stating the artist's own distance from Rosinha

Mode ir pra perto dela
Motivation to be near Rosinha