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.
O Quereres
Maria Bethânia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Onde queres descanso sou desejo, e onde sou só desejo queres não
E onde não queres nada, nada falta, e onde voas bem alta eu sou o chão
E onde pisas no chão minha alma salta, e ganha liberdade na amplidão
Onde queres família sou maluco, e onde queres romântico, burguês
Onde queres Leblon sou Pernambuco, e onde queres eunuco, garanhão
E onde queres o sim e o não, talvez, onde vês eu não vislumbro razão
Onde queres o lobo eu sou o irmão, e onde queres cowboy eu sou chinês
Onde queres o ato eu sou o espírito
e onde queres ternura eu sou tesão
Onde queres o livre decassílabo
e onde buscas o anjo eu sou mulher
Onde queres prazer sou o que dói
e onde queres tortura, mansidão
Onde queres o lar, revolução
e onde queres bandido eu sou o herói
Eu queria querer-te e amar o amor
construírmos dulcíssima prisão
E encontrar a mais justa adequação
tudo métrica e rima e nunca dor
Mas a vida é real e de viés
e vê só que cilada o amor me armou
E te quero e não queres como sou
não te quero e não queres como és
Onde queres comício, flipper vídeo
e onde queres romance, rock'nroll
Onde queres a lua eu sou o sol
onde a pura natura, o inceticídeo
E onde queres mistério eu sou a luz
Onde queres um canto, o mundo inteiro
Onde queres quaresma, fevereiro
e onde queres coqueiro eu sou obus
O Quereres e o estares sempre a fim
do que em mim é de mim tão desigual
Faz-me querer-te bem, querer-te mal
bem a ti, mal aO Quereres assim
Infinitivamente pessoal
e eu querendo querer-te sem ter fim
E querendo te aprender o total do querer
que há e do que não há em mim
The song "O Quereres" by Maria Bethânia is a complex exploration of the idea of love and how it can be difficult to reconcile the different versions of oneself with the expectations of a partner. The lyrics suggest that the singer's partner wants her to be many different things, but she cannot be all of them at once. She is a coconut tree when he wants to revolve, passion when he wants money, desire when he wants rest, and freedom when he wants to be grounded. The singer's partner is always searching for something different, and she struggles to keep up with his changing desires.
The song uses vivid, poetic language to describe the singer's experiences of love and relationships. She compares herself to the sun and the moon, and suggests that her partner wants her to be everything at once, from a political activist to a video game addict. Despite this, the singer still wants to love her partner, and is desperate to find a way to make their relationship work. However, she acknowledges that love is complicated and messy, and that it may not be possible to reconcile all of the different parts of oneself with the needs and desires of another person.
Line by Line Meaning
Onde queres revólver sou coqueiro, onde queres dinheiro sou paixão
Where you want a weapon, I am a palm tree, where you want money, I am passion
Onde queres descanso sou desejo, e onde sou só desejo queres não
Where you want rest, I am desire, and where I am just desire, you don't want
E onde não queres nada, nada falta, e onde voas bem alta eu sou o chão
Where you want nothing, nothing is missing, and where you fly high, I am the ground
E onde pisas no chão minha alma salta, e ganha liberdade na amplidão
And where you step on the ground, my soul jumps, and gains freedom in the vastness
Onde queres família sou maluco, e onde queres romântico, burguês
Where you want family, I am crazy, and where you want romantic, bourgeois
Onde queres Leblon sou Pernambuco, e onde queres eunuco, garanhão
Where you want Leblon, I am Pernambuco, and where you want eunuch, I am a stud
E onde queres o sim e o não, talvez, onde vês eu não vislumbro razão
And where you want the yes and no, perhaps, where you see, I do not see any reason
Onde queres o lobo eu sou o irmão, e onde queres cowboy eu sou chinês
Where you want the wolf, I am the brother, and where you want cowboy, I am Chinese
Ah, bruta flor do querer, ah, bruta flor, bruta flor
Ah, brutal flower of desire, ah, brutal flower, brutal flower
Onde queres o ato eu sou o espírito
Where you want the act, I am the spirit
e onde queres ternura eu sou tesão
And where you want tenderness, I am lust
Onde queres o livre decassílabo
Where you want the free verse
e onde buscas o anjo eu sou mulher
And where you search for an angel, I am a woman
Onde queres prazer sou o que dói
Where you want pleasure, I am what hurts
e onde queres tortura, mansidão
And where you want torture, I am gentleness
Onde queres o lar, revolução
Where you want home, revolution
e onde queres bandido eu sou o herói
And where you want a bandit, I am the hero
Eu queria querer-te e amar o amor
I wished to want you, and to love love
construírmos dulcíssima prisão
To build a sweet prison
E encontrar a mais justa adequação
And to find the fairest adequacy
tudo métrica e rima e nunca dor
Everything metric and rhymed, and never pain
Mas a vida é real e de viés
But life is real and askew
e vê só que cilada o amor me armou
And look, what a trap love set for me
E te quero e não queres como sou
And I want you, but you don't want me as I am
não te quero e não queres como és
I don't want you, and you don't want me as you are
Onde queres comício, flipper vídeo
Where you want a rally, I am a video game
e onde queres romance, rock'nroll
And where you want romance, I am rock'nroll
Onde queres a lua eu sou o sol
Where you want the moon, I am the sun
onde a pura natura, o inceticídeo
Where pure nature is, I am an insect
E onde queres mistério eu sou a luz
And where you want mystery, I am the light
Onde queres um canto, o mundo inteiro
Where you want a corner, it's the whole world
Onde queres quaresma, fevereiro
Where you want Lent, it's February
e onde queres coqueiro eu sou obus
And where you want a coconut tree, I am an artillery shell
O Quereres e o estares sempre a fim
The desires and always being eager
do que em mim é de mim tão desigual
Of what in me is so different from me
Faz-me querer-te bem, querer-te mal
Makes me want you well, want you badly
bem a ti, mal aO Quereres assim
Well to you, badly to the desires like this
Infinitivamente pessoal
Infinitely personal
e eu querendo querer-te sem ter fim
And I wanting to want you endlessly
E querendo te aprender o total do querer
And wanting to learn from you the fullness of desire
que há e do que não há em mim
That exists and what doesn't exist in me
Writer(s): Emanoel Viana Teles Caetano Veloso Copyright: Gapa - Guilherme Araujo Prod. Art. Ltda, Uns Producoes Artisticas Ltda
Contributed by Dylan P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
GABS Consultoria Imobiliária
Meu! Letra difícil, travada, linda, rica e fascinante como a língua portuguesa.
Jefferson Góes
Letra perfeita de Caetano Veloso e interpretação magistral de sua irmã, Maria Bethânia.
Snoopexe _
Vdd
Adalberto Viga
A letra parece um trava língua;-;
Marcia Carvalho
Quando escuto essa música, com esse português bem escrito, sinto orgulho de ser brasileira e de falar essa língua maravilhosa que e a língua portuguesa.
irmã do K A M A I T A C H I
eae 2020 ta chato ne?só fica em casa '-'
diego augusto
Que pedrada sonora! Essa é da pesada!!!!
Que voz poderosa
Maurício Pereira
Certamente, a melhor cantora dos últimos tempos. Amo!
Ruy Freitas
Sem dúvida, a melhor cantora do Brasil...E uma das melhores do mundo!!!!!!!!!!!
Carlos Francisco Martinez Mancilla
fantástica maravilla de voz de esta maravillosa Leyenda Brasileña y me encanta la canción