Sertanejo
Luiz Gonzaga Lyrics

The lyrics of Luiz Gonzaga's "Sertanejo" celebrate the simplicity and resilience of the people from the Northeast of Brazil, particularly those who originate from the rural areas and travel to other regions to seek better living conditions. The song starts by addressing this group of people, known as "sertanejos", and emphasizes that they don't harm anyone and come from simple origins ("Que não faz mal a ninguém, O sertanejo do norte, Que de pau de arara vem"). The "pau de arara" refers to a truck used for transportation, often overcrowded and uncomfortable, that is extensively used by sertanejos. Gonzaga, also a sertanejo from the Northeast himself, acknowledges that he shares their vulnerability ("Desprotegido da sorte, Sou pau de arara também").

The chorus of "Sertanejo" invokes the feeling of longing and displacement that many sertanejos experience when they leave their communities to work in other places ("Vamo′ s'imbora, mainha, O caminhão já vai, Espera por eu, mãe, Ai, ai, que fome, ô vidão"). The verses following the chorus talk about two specific places in the Northeast of Brazil: Ribaçã, a city that is always abundant in food, and the sertão, the vast and arid countryside that is the homeland of the sertanejos. The song acknowledges the hardship of the sertanejo's lifestyle but also celebrates their joy when they are blessed with rains and bountiful harvests ("Quando chove no sertão, Quando a roça tá cheinha, De arroz, mio' e feijão"). The final verses describe the anticipation and excitement of the sertanejo's family when they see their loved one coming back from the fields ("Quando ele vem do roçado, Seus fi'inho′ tão esperando, Quando avistam de longe, Todos eles vão gritando, Eita, pai já vem").