Mafalda Arnauth, born in Lisbon, Portugal, in October of 1974, was at the t… Read Full Bio ↴Mafalda Arnauth, born in Lisbon, Portugal, in October of 1974, was at the time one of the latest revelations in fado. She started her career in 1995 when invited by João Braga (an important fado singer) to participate in a concert at S. Luis's Theater. What initially seemed to be a single experience, turned out to be a way of life.

Today her value is recognized, not only in Portugal but also in many foreign countries, where her presence is regularly requested.

Mafalda Arnauth, her first album released in 1999, was immediately acclaimed by specialists and won the Prize for Best Upcoming Voice by the weekly magazine Blitz, a sign that new generations are back into fado.

After a year filled with concerts and important invitations, that took her to the most important concert halls in The Netherlands, the Louisiana Centre (Denmark) and to Italy, to perform in the festival Sete-Sois, Sete-Luas, an important Mediterranean folk event, she sang at Centro Cultural de Belém (Lisbon), where she was warmly acclaimed by the press.

Mafalda's second album, Esta voz que me atravessa (This voice that goes through me) was reelased in 2001 and it was produced by Amélia Muge and José Martins. Her album Encantamento was self-produced. She feels it "leaves fatality, disgrace, and nostalgia behind. Hope is fed on sadness; inspiration on suffering; strength and courage on diffculties."

Coisa Assim
Mafalda Arnauth Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

S'eu morrer de amor por ti
Ai leva-me a enterrar
Dentro daquela careta
Que fizeste numa hora
Em que me estavas a olhar
E a rir te foste embora
E eu quase vi o meu fim
Se eu morrer ou coisa assim

Faz desse riso um cantar
Para te lembrares de mim

Neste corpo dimensão
Que volume tem a crença
Qual a forma da diferença
A altura da paixão
A medida do valor
A largura da razão
A proporção do amor
Qual o tamanho do medo
A geometria da mão
O que é que nos mede a dor

Disse-te adeus quem diria
Eu até nem dei por nada
E digo mais nem sabia
De história tão mal contada
Nem mentira nem verdade
Mas como é que isto se sente
É como se o tempo um dia
Descobrisse a realidade

E a prendesse de repente
A ficar eternidade.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Mafalda Arnauth's song Coisa Assim evoke a sense of longing and heartache for a love that is unrequited or lost. The opening lines "S'eu morrer de amor por ti / Ai leva-me a enterrar" (If I die of love for you / Oh, bury me) reveal a theme of love that is so intense it borders on obsession. The singer requests to be buried in a coffin that was made by the person they love, as a way to be forever close to them even in death. The line "E eu quase vi o meu fim / Se eu morrer ou coisa assim" (And I almost saw my end / If I die, or something like that) suggests that this love is not only consuming but also potentially dangerous.

Line by Line Meaning

S'eu morrer de amor por ti
If I die of love for you

Ai leva-me a enterrar
Oh, bury me

Dentro daquela careta
Inside that coffin

Que fizeste numa hora
That you made in an hour

Em que me estavas a olhar
When you were looking at me

E a rir te foste embora
And laughing, you went away

E eu quase vi o meu fim
And I almost saw my end

Se eu morrer ou coisa assim
If I die or something like that

Faz desse riso um cantar
Make that laughter a song

Para te lembrares de mim
So you can remember me

Neste corpo dimensão
In this body's dimensions