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."
Para Maria
Mafalda Arnauth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Procuro por Ti
Trago este vazio
E o desejo de dar cor à minha vida
Quero pintar
Esta história que estou a criar
Quero ser mais
Minha grandeza afirmar
Onde mora tudo o que eu vou ser
Se eu souber ser amor
Maria, Maria
Não sei que aconteceu
Se o mundo ou se fui eu
Enganou-se o amanhã sem piedade
Fecha-se a luz
Sobre as almas da minha idade
Esconde-se o céu
Onde eu quero ser mais verdade
Minha Senhora e minha Mãe
Olha bem por nós
Sem Teu amor
Ficaremos sós.
Maria, Maria
Mãe do silêncio
Mãe da humanidade
Em Teu seio o meu senhor se gerou
E Tu o contemplaste
Cheia de amor e ternura
Teu filho desejado
e por ti muito amado
Minha Senhora e minha Mãe
Ensina-me a amar
E arriscar
A saber ser maior
The song "Para Maria" by Mafalda Arnauth begins with the line "Maria, Maria, procuro por ti" (Maria, Maria, I search for you), indicating that the singer is searching for guidance and support from the Virgin Mary. The singer expresses a desire to fill the emptiness in their life, and to paint a picture of their own story. They want to assert their own greatness, and become a poet or singer, a symbol of the heavens where everything they want to be resides. The lyrics then take a more ominous tone with the line "não sei que aconteceu, se o mundo ou se fui eu" (I don't know what happened, if it was the world or if it was me), implying that the singer is struggling with their place in the world and questioning their own actions. They feel that the future has been deceived mercilessly, and that the world is closing in on them, taking away their opportunities to be their true selves. The Virgin Mary is again called upon, with the hope that she will look after the singer and bring them closer to God.
Line by Line Meaning
Maria, Maria
The singer is addressing someone named Maria.
Procuro por Ti
The singer is searching for Maria.
Trago este vazio
The singer is feeling empty or unfulfilled.
E o desejo de dar cor à minha vida
The singer wants to add color and vibrancy to their life.
Quero pintar
The singer wants to paint or create something.
Esta história que estou a criar
The singer is in the process of creating a story or narrative.
Quero ser mais
The singer wants to be more or achieve more in life.
Minha grandeza afirmar
The singer wants to assert their greatness or potential.
Ser poeta, ser cantor, ser o céu
The singer wants to be a poet, singer, or something as vast and infinite as the sky.
Onde mora tudo o que eu vou ser
The sky is a metaphor for where the singer's potential and future self reside.
Se eu souber ser amor
The singer believes that being able to love is important to achieving their aspirations.
Não sei que aconteceu
The singer is unsure of what happened.
Se o mundo ou se fui eu
The singer is unsure if the world or themselves are responsible for what happened.
Enganou-se o amanhã sem piedade
The future has been cruelly deceived.
Fecha-se a luz
The light is closing or fading away.
Sobre as almas da minha idade
This fading light affects people around the singer's age or generation.
Esconde-se o céu
The sky is hiding or obscured.
Onde eu quero ser mais verdade
The sky represents a place where the singer wants to be more truthful or genuine.
Minha Senhora e minha Mãe
The singer is addressing Maria as both a Lady and Mother figure.
Olha bem por nós
The singer is requesting Maria's guidance and protection.
Sem Teu amor
Without Maria's love.
Ficaremos sós.
The singer will be alone without Maria's love.
Mãe do silêncio
Maria is being described as a Mother of Silence.
Mãe da humanidade
Maria is being described as a Mother of Humanity.
Em Teu seio o meu senhor se gerou
Maria gave birth to the singer's Lord.
E Tu o contemplaste
Maria looked upon the singer's Lord with admiration or love.
Cheia de amor e ternura
Maria is full of love and tenderness.
Teu filho desejado
Maria desired her son.
E por ti muito amado
Maria's son is loved by her very much.
Minha Senhora e minha Mãe
The singer is addressing Maria as both a Lady and Mother figure.
Ensina-me a amar
The singer is asking Maria to teach them how to love.
E arriscar
The singer wants to take risks and step out of their comfort zone.
A saber ser maior
The singer wants to learn to be a greater person.
Contributed by Christian W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Asunción Serrano
Su voz traspasa el cuerpo y el alma
Elsa Araújo Sá
A melhor música da minha vida!!!!
Linda!!!!
Armindo Silva
Mafalda Arnaud a minha fadista favorita .Com a sua voz inconfundivel e sensual empresta ao fado toda a beleza e sensualidade que a caracteriza .Muintos parabéns e felicidades na sua carreira .
Angela Delgado
Fantástica essa cantora! Estou impactada...
Maria Fernandes
Belíssima!!!!! Ave Maria!!! Linda canção, letra! Muitos parabéns Mafalda Arnouth 👏👏👏🙏🙏🙏🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹❤️
Elsa Estrela
Excelente interpretação. Beijinho Mafalda videoclip 5***** Parabéns a toda a equipa que realizou e produziu este trabalho
Manuel da Fonseca
que linda voz e que linda senhora, e muito bem articulado, é desigual... bem hajas
Fatima Mota
Sublime, amei.
António Araújo Braga
VIRTUOSA! MAGNÍFICA!
Ivo Curado
"...se eu souber ser amor... ❤️🙏"