Sister of the also popular and renowned singer and composer Caetano Veloso, she began her artistic career in 1963, appearing in the play "Boca de Ouro" by Nelson Rodrigues. A song about the play was written by Caetano Veloso, who opened the show singing a samba track by Ataulfo Alves. That year she met Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, Tom Zé, Djalma Correa, Pitti, Alcivando Luz and Fernando Lona in Salvador, with whom she performed at the commemorations inaugurating the Vila Velha de Salvador theatre in 1964 in the shows "Nós por exemplo" and "Nova bossa velha, velha bossa nova". In 1964 she also appeared in "Mora na Filosofia", her first solo show, when she met Nara Leão. As 1965 she replaced the muse of bossa nova in the show at Teatro Opinião (Rio de Janeiro), sharing the stage with Zé Kéti and João do Vale. She stood out for her stirring interpretation of the song "Carcará". In 1965 she also recorded her first record, a single containing the tracks "Carcará" and "É de manhã", the first recording of Caetano Veloso’s composition. That same year she released a double single with the songs "Carcará", "No carnaval", "Mora na filosofia" and "Só eu sei", followed by her debut album "Maria Bethânia" and the record "Maria Bethânia canta Noel Rosa". That year she also performed in the show Arena canta Bahia, directed by Augusto Boal, alongside Gal, Gil, Caetano, Pitti and Tom Zé. Also under the direction of Boal, the same group performed the show Tempo de Guerra. In 1996 she shared the stage of Teatro Opinião with Vinícius de Moraes and Gilberto Gil, presenting the show "Pois é". In 1967 she released the album "Edu & Bethânia" with Edu Lobo. She appeared in the shows "Yes, nós temos Maria Bethânia" (Bolso theatre, Rio de Janeiro) and "Comigo me desavim" (Miguel Lemos theatre, Rio de Janeiro) and "Brasileiro profissão esperança", by Paulo Pontes, directed by Bibi Ferreira, at the Casa Grande theatre (Rio de Janeiro). In 1971 she recorded the album "A tua presença", which was praised by the select critics. In 1971 the show "Rosa dos ventos" premiered at Teatro da Praia (Rio de Janeiro), directed by Fauzi Arap and she released the album of the same name. In 1972 she appeared alongside Chico Buarque and Nara Leão in the film "Quando o carnaval chegar" by Cacá Diegues. After another trip to Europe, she launched the album "Drama - anjo exterminado" also that year. In 1973 the show Drama, luz da noite premiered at Teatro da Praia, directed by Antônio Bivar and Isabel Câmara, from which arose the record "Luz da noite". The following year she commemorated ten years in the music business with the show "A cena muda", directed by Fauzi Arap, at the Casa Grande Theatre (Rio de Janeiro). The show led to a live record of the same name. In 1975 she performed a lengthy season with Chico Buarque at the Canecão (Rio de Janeiro). In 1976 she recorded the album "Pássaro proibido" which earned her first gold record. Also that year she got together with Caetano, Gil and Gal, forming the group Os Doces Bárbaros. In 1977 she released the album "Pássaro da manhã", for which she received the second gold record of her career. That year she was considered one of the bestselling singers in Brazil, which opened new doors in the record industry. In 1978 she starred in the show "Maria Bethânia e Caetano Veloso ao vivo" alongside her brother. Also that year the album "Álibi" was released, which earned her third gold disk. In 1979 she recorded the album "Mel". She released a series of records in the following decades: "Alteza" (81), "Maria" (88), "Memória da pele" (89), "Olho d’água" (92), "As canções que você fez pra mim" (93), only recording records by Roberto and Erasmo Carlos Âmbar (96), "Imitação da vida" (97) and "A força que nunca seca" (99). In 1994 she performed alongside Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa and Gilberto Gil, in the show "Doces Bárbaros na Mangueira", reference to the tribute made to them by this samba school, with the theme "Atrás da verde e rosa só não vai quem já morreu". In 2000, she recorded limited-edition album "Cânticos, preces, súplicas à Senhora dos Jardins do Céu". In 2001, she recorded the album "Maricotinha", containing the tracks "Moça do sonho" (Edu Lobo and Chico Buarque), from the musical "Cambaio, Primavera" (Carlos Lyra and Vinícius de Moraes), "Quando você não está aqui" (Herbert Vianna and Paulo Sérgio Valle), "Antes que amanheça" (Chico César and Carlos Rennó) and "Se eu morresse de saudade" (Gilberto Gil), among others, in addition to the title track, by Dorival Caymmi. She released the record a special show at the Canecão (Rio de Janeiro). The show included appearances by Caetano Veloso, Carlos Lyra, Chico Buarque, Nana e Danilo Caymmi, Adriana Calcanhoto and Gilberto Gil, among other artists. Also in 2001, in commemoration of her 35 years in the music business, she returned to the Canecão in the show "Maricotinha", which led to the double album "Maricotinha ao vivo". On December 8 that same year, she performed before 100,000 people on Copacabana beach alongside Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and Gal Costa in the show "Doces Bárbaros", which concluded the project Pão Music. In 2003 the show presented in 2001 at the Canecão was released on the DVD "Maricotinha ao vivo", directed by André Horta. In 2003 she was also nominated for the Multishow Award in the categories Best Show and Best Album for "Maricotinha ao vivo". Also that year she created her own label, Quitanda, in partnership with record company Biscoito Fino, inaugurated the company by releasing the album "Brasileirinho", containing songs about religion and Brazil, with guest appearances by Nana Caymmi, Miúcha, Denise Stoklos and Ferreira Gullar, in addition to the groups Tira Poeira and Uakti, and the album "Vozes da Purificação", the first song recorded by Dona Edith do Prato. In 2004 she received the Tim Award in the categories Best Singer, Best Record and best visual MPB project, the Rival BR Award in the category Best Album, and the Academia Brasileira de Letras Award in the category Best Singer, in addition to being nominated for the Latin Grammy. That same year she produced and appeared as a singer alongside other artists on the album "Namorando a Rosa", a tribute record to violinist Rosinha de Valença, released by her Quitanda label. In 2005 she released the album Que falta você me faz, recording works by Vincius de Moraes, in partnership with Tom Jobim, Chico Buarque, Carlos Lyra, Baden Powell, Toquinho, Adoniran Barbosa and Jards Macalé. That same year she appeared at Canecão (Rio de Janeiro) in the show "Tempo Tempo Tempo Tempo - Uma homenagem a Vinícius de Moraes". In 2005 she also received the Golden Music Dolphin Award from the Rio de Janeiro State Culture Council.
Grão de mar
Maria Bethânia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sementes de mar
Grãos de navegar
Partir
So de imaginar, eu vi
Água de aguardar
Onda a me levar
E eu quase fui feliz
Mas nos longes onde andei
Nada de achar
Mar que semeei, perdi
A flor do sertão caiu
Pedra de plantar
Rosa que não há
Não dá
Não dói, nem diz
E o mar ficou lá no sertão
E o meu sertão em nenhum lugar
Como o amor que eu nunca encontrei
Mas existe em mim
Mas nos longes onde andei
Nada de achar
Mar que semeei,perdi
A flor do sertão caiu
Pedra de plantar
Rosa que não há
Não dá
Não dói, nem diz
E o mar ficou lá no sertão
E o meu sertão em nenhum lugar
Como o amor que eu nunca encontrei
Mas existe em mim
The lyrics to Maria Bethânia's song Grão de mar speak about the idea of planting seeds that lead to disappointment and loss. In the first verse, the singer describes planting "grãos de navegar" or grains of sailing, in her hometown. This imagery represents the desire to explore and leave one's home for new adventures. However, the singer quickly realizes that the sea she planted in her land cannot grow. Despite this setback, she cannot help but still dream of sailing away and finding happiness.
The second verse is a reflection on the singer's past experiences. She talks about traveling and searching for the sea she longed for but being unable to locate it. She also mentions losing the flower of her homeland and not being able to grow a rose. The flower imagery references the inability to cultivate something beautiful and pure in her life. The sea, representing hope and freedom, and the rose, representing love, are unattainable for her.
The chorus repeats the idea that the sea she planted in her land does not exist and that her homeland is nowhere to be found. The love she has been searching for is also elusive. However, in the final line, the singer acknowledges that this love, like the sea, exists within her. Despite the disappointments and losses, she still holds onto the hope of finding that love and experiencing the freedom of the sea.
Line by Line Meaning
Lá no meu sertão plantei
In the countryside where I come from, I planted
Sementes de mar
Seeds of the sea
Grãos de navegar
Grain of sailing
Partir
To leave
Só de imaginar, eu vi
Just by imagining, I saw
Água de aguardar
Water to await
Onda a me levar
Wave to carry me
E eu quase fui feliz
And I almost became happy
Mas nos longes onde andei
But in the faraway lands I wandered
Nada de achar
I found nothing
Mar que semeei, perdi
The sea I sowed, I lost
A flor do sertão caiu
The flower of the countryside fell
Pedra de plantar
A stone to plant
Rosa que não há
A rose that doesn't exist
Não dá
It's not possible
Não dói, nem diz
It doesn't hurt, nor does it speak
E o mar ficou lá no sertão
And the sea stayed there in the countryside
E o meu sertão em nenhum lugar
And my countryside is nowhere to be found
Como o amor que eu nunca encontrei
Like the love I never found
Mas existe em mim
But it exists within me
Contributed by Victoria V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
jose sandro
Música perfeita para 2021 nesta pandemia que nos pega com medo
Ana Raquel de Oliveira França
Perfeita! Composição de Chico César e interpretação de Maria Betânia. Extase!
Dayne Kelly
Essa música suga minh'alma para dentro dela... Ave Maria 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽💕
Maikon Douglas
"E eu quase fui feliz" Como não amalá?
Chrístian Cardoso
Essa mulher malina nossos sentimentos...
Miriam Garcia
En el 2023 ! Esta cancion es Hermosa! Que Honor es escuchar A Maria Bethania!
angel456
lindo, lindo, lindo!
Claudio Giesteira
Que coisa linda essa letra do Chico Cesar e a interpretação sublime e definitiva da Bethânia! Bem, todo o show "Dentro do Mar Tem Rio" é profundamente belo! Um dos mais belos que já vi! Bethânia sempre!
jackson ferreira gouveia
Meu deus!
intor / flowers
onde será que isso começa?