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.
Salmo
Maria Bethânia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh bela, oh terna, oh santa
Vida
É breve, é grande, é tanta
Vida
Ai, de quem não te canta
Oh vida
Ai, de quem, vacilante
Repousa e não ousa viver
Deve passar toda existência
Entre o medo e a ansiedade
Não quero ter calmaria
Eu quero ser tempestade
Eu quero ser ventania
Eu quero andar pela cidade
Me embriagando de poesia
Bebendo a claridade
Da luz do dia
Diante da vida comovente
Ai de quem, tão somente
Reclama e não ama viver
Deve ter feito dentro d'alma
Um vasto mar de amargura
Não quero ter agonia
Eu quero sim, a locura
O fogo da fantasia
Um precipício de aventura
A vida vindo como orgia
No ofício da procura
De todo dia
Diante do espelho dos seus olhos
Ai, de quem não se vê
Não vê seu destino
Eu quero ver meu desatino
Frente a frente e poder dizer:
"Você é quem sempre me dá prazer
Entre você e a calma eu quero ser você, ai"
Diante do abismo do mistério
Ai, de quem se esconder
Não vai saber
Eu quero o salto pra vertigem
De mim mesmo e poder dizer:
"Eu era o caos e o caos eu quero
Eu quero o nada, o germe, eu quero a origem de tanto querer, ai"
Diante da vida que é sublime
Ai, de quem se reprime
Se ausenta e nem tenta viver
Deve ficar olhando o mundo
E lamentando sozinho
Não quero ter letargia
Eu quero ser rodamoinho
Eu quero ser travessia
Eu quero abrir o meu caminho
Ser minha própria estrela-guia
Virar um passarinho
Cantando a vida assim
Cantando além de mim
E além de além do fim
The song Salmo by Maria Bethânia is a celebration of life and its varied experiences. The lyrics emphasize the brevity and grandeur of life and advise against not living it to the fullest. The opening stanza addresses life as beautiful, gentle, and holy but also vast and fleeting. The chorus repeatedly urges the listener not to miss the opportunity of singing and celebrating life. The song contrasts a life of fear and anxiety with a life of passion and adventure. The singer declares her preference for the latter and wishes to walk through the city, intoxicated with poetry, and revel in the light of day.
The subsequent stanzas pose warnings against leading a life of bitterness and regret, and hiding from the mysteries of existence. The song advises against suppressing one's desires and settling for a mundane existence. Instead, it urges the listener to be bold and daring, take risks and embrace life's chaos and uncertainty. The song celebrates the sublime nature of life but cautions against wasting it by being a spectator. Instead, it exhorts the listener to be a participant and an adventurer, discovering their true selves, and pursuing their desires. Salmo's theme echoes Nietzsche's philosophy of the will to power, emphasizing the individual's desire to explore and dominate their environment.
Line by Line Meaning
Vida
Life
Oh bela, oh terna, oh santa
Oh beautiful, oh tender, oh sacred
Vida
Life
É breve, é grande, é tanta
It's short, it's big, it's so much
Vida
Life
Ai, de quem não te canta
Oh, woe to those who don't sing to you
Oh vida
Oh life
Diante da vida delirante
In the face of a wild life
Ai, de quem, vacilante
Oh, woe to the hesitant
Repousa e não ousa viver
Rests and doesn't dare to live
Deve passar toda existência
Must spend their whole existence
Entre o medo e a ansiedade
Between fear and anxiety
Não quero ter calmaria
I don't want calmness
Eu quero ser tempestade
I want to be a storm
Eu quero ser ventania
I want to be a gust of wind
Eu quero andar pela cidade
I want to walk through the city
Me embriagando de poesia
Getting drunk on poetry
Bebendo a claridade
Drinking in the brightness
Da luz do dia
Of daylight
Diante da vida comovente
In the face of a touching life
Ai de quem, tão somente
Oh, woe to those who only
Reclama e não ama viver
Complain and don't love to live
Deve ter feito dentro d'alma
Must have made within their soul
Um vasto mar de amargura
A vast sea of bitterness
Não quero ter agonia
I don't want agony
Eu quero sim, a locura
I want madness
O fogo da fantasia
The fire of imagination
Um precipício de aventura
A precipice of adventure
A vida vindo como orgia
Life coming like an orgy
No ofício da procura
In the pursuit of
De todo dia
Every day
Diante do espelho dos seus olhos
In front of the mirror of your eyes
Ai, de quem não se vê
Oh, woe to those who don't see themselves
Não vê seu destino
Don't see their destiny
Eu quero ver meu desatino
I want to see my recklessness
Frente a frente e poder dizer:
Face to face and be able to say:
"Você é quem sempre me dá prazer
"You're the one who always gives me pleasure
Entre você e a calma eu quero ser você, ai"
Between you and calmness, I want to be you, oh"
Diante do abismo do mistério
In front of the abyss of mystery
Ai, de quem se esconder
Oh, woe to those who hide
Não vai saber
Won't know
Eu quero o salto pra vertigem
I want the leap into vertigo
De mim mesmo e poder dizer:
Of myself and be able to say:
"Eu era o caos e o caos eu quero
"I was chaos and I want chaos
Eu quero o nada, o germe, eu quero a origem de tanto querer, ai"
I want nothing, the germ, I want the origin of so much desire, oh"
Diante da vida que é sublime
In the face of a sublime life
Ai, de quem se reprime
Oh, woe to those who repress themselves
Se ausenta e nem tenta viver
Absents themselves and doesn't even try to live
Deve ficar olhando o mundo
Must stay looking at the world
E lamentando sozinho
And lamenting alone
Não quero ter letargia
I don't want lethargy
Eu quero ser rodamoinho
I want to be a whirlwind
Eu quero ser travessia
I want to be a crossing
Eu quero abrir o meu caminho
I want to pave my own way
Ser minha própria estrela-guia
Be my own guiding star
Virar um passarinho
Turn into a bird
Cantando a vida assim
Singing life like this
Cantando além de mim
Singing beyond myself
E além de além do fim
And beyond the end.
Contributed by Alex D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Luzelene Almeida
Amo muito Betânia
Wilton Pessoa
Lindo
Maristela Ziela
Sempre discreta.nunca se vendeu ao sistema.