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.
Pombo Correio
Maria Bethânia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Com a carta pr'aquela mulher que me abandonou
Soltei o segundo, o terceiro, meu pombal terminou
Ela não veio nem o pombo voltou
Depois que aquela mulher me abandonou
Não sei porque minha vida desandou
Meu canário morreu
Meu papagaio emudeceu
O cano d'água furou
E até o sol por pirraça
Invadiu minha vidraça
E o retrato dela desbotou
Depois que aquela mulher me abandonou
Não sei porque minha vida desandou
Meu canário morreu
A roseira murchou
Meu papagaio emudeceu
O cano d'água furou
E até o sol por pirraça
Invadiu minha vidraça
E o retrato dela desbotou
The lyrics to Maria Bethânia's song "Pombo Correio" describe the aftermath of a heartbreak. The singer of the song sends multiple homing pigeons to the woman who abandoned him, with letters expressing his feelings. However, she does not respond, and the pigeons do not return. The singer then goes on to list various other things in his life that have gone wrong since the woman left him, from his canary dying to his water pipe breaking. He even notes that the sun seems to be purposely invading his space and making everything worse. The final line of the song says that the picture of the woman has faded away.
The song paints a vivid picture of the despair and emptiness that can come after a breakup. The image of the homing pigeons, trained to always return to their home, but failing to do so, serves as a metaphor for the singer's own longing for the woman who has left him. The loss of his pets and other small things in his life only serve to amplify his sense of loneliness and loss.
Interestingly, the title of the song, "Pombo Correio," translates to "mail pigeon," which is another way of referring to homing pigeons. This adds another layer of meaning to the lyrics, as the birds are not only a symbol of the singer's longing, but also a method of communication. The song was written by Raimundo Fagner and Fausto Nilo, and was first recorded by Bethânia in 1975. It has since become one of her most well-known songs.
Line by Line Meaning
Soltei meu primeiro pombo-correio
I released my first carrier pigeon
Com a carta pr'aquela mulher que me abandonou
With a letter for the woman who left me
Soltei o segundo, o terceiro, meu pombal terminou
I released the second and third pigeons until my dovecote was empty
Ela não veio nem o pombo voltou
She didn't come and neither did the pigeon return
Depois que aquela mulher me abandonou
After that woman left me
Não sei porque minha vida desandou
I don't know why my life fell apart
Meu canário morreu
My canary died
A roseira murchou
The rose bush wilted
Meu papagaio emudeceu
My parrot became silent
O cano d'água furou
The water pipe burst
E até o sol por pirraça
Even the sun, out of spite
Invadiu minha vidraça
Invaded my window
E o retrato dela desbotou
And her picture faded
Contributed by Christopher A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
JOSÉ EDUARDO BRANDÃO
Grande Samuel, agradeço muito por você ter postado esse samba. Há muito tempo vinha procurando por essa gravação. Tem uma letra muito divertida e muito bem interpretado pela Maria Bethânia. Abraço.
Luis Miguel Muley Mateos
todas as cançoes daquele LP foram maravilhosas e, afinal de contas, quem melhor para cantar que a Super maravilhosa Maria Bethania, eu tinha 13 anos quando ja era fa incondicional dela