The name Mawaca is inspired by the singer-shamans (mawaka) of the Hausa eth… Read Full Bio ↴The name Mawaca is inspired by the singer-shamans (mawaka) of the Hausa ethnic group from northern Nigeria, who resorts to the magical power of the sung word to attract the power of the spirits. The group researches and recreates music of diverse ethnicities around the globe seeking connections with Brazilian music. They are seven female singers, interpreting songs in more than ten languages: Brazilian indigenous languages, Spanish, Bulgarian, Finnish, Japanese, Hungarian, Swahili, Arabic, Greek, Hebrew, Yoruba and Portuguese. Their music features a variety of instruments: accordion, violoncello, flute, violin and soprano sax, bass, in addition to percussion instruments like the Indian tablas, Arab derbak, African djembés, berimbau, vibraphone, marimba and pandeirões of Maranhão.

Acometado
Mawaca Lyrics

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No vai-e-vem e gira-gira do planeta
Vê-se um monte de cabeça que não pára de girar
O corpo segue pra esquerda e pra direita
Bola de tênis-de-mesa: o jogo não pode parar

Quem tá de fora e espia o movimento
Tem certeza no momento: o movimento é pendular
A cabeça pende para um lado e para o outro

Fio de prumo é o corpo quando pode se aprumar

Planeta terra brincando de pega-pega
cometas, de cabra-cega
onde é que isso vai dar?
que vida é essa na ciranda do planeta?
a gente vira pirueta
tudo fora do lugar

Quem tá de longe, acima dos horizontes.
Passageiro de um bonde no espaço sideral
Terá por certo que o tal do bicho-homem
Marionete de arame seu cordão umbilical

Se revogassem essa lei da gravidade
Com o tempo, com a idade, a gente
aprendia a voar:

Nada caía, nem ficava balangando...
De vera que o ser humano ia se eternizar.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Mawaca's song Acometido talk about the constant movement and rotation of the planet, and how this movement is reflected in the behavior of human beings. The first verse suggests that while the planet is in a constant state of motion, people's heads are also constantly spinning and their bodies are moving from left to right like a ping pong ball. The second verse says that those who observe this movement from the outside perceive it as a pendulum, with the head swinging from one side to the other, and the body acting as a plumb line when it is able to straighten itself.

The chorus of the song likens the planet to a game of tag or blind man's bluff, with the comets playing the game. The lyrics ask the question about where this will lead and what purpose life serves in this endless cycle. The final verse introduces the idea of humans being puppets controlled by an invisible force, the "cordão umbilical" or umbilical cord. The lyrics suggest that if humans were able to fly and defied the law of gravity, they could achieve eternal life.

Overall, the lyrics of Acometido convey a sense of the transience of human existence and the insignificance of humans in the grand scheme of things. The metaphor of the planetary rotation as a game, and humans as puppets controlled by an invisible force, underscore the idea of a lack of control and agency in the human experience.

Line by Line Meaning

No vai-e-vem e gira-gira do planeta
In the constant movement and rotation of the planet

Vê-se um monte de cabeça que não pára de girar
You can see a lot of heads that don't stop spinning

O corpo segue pra esquerda e pra direita
The body moves left and right

Bola de tênis-de-mesa: o jogo não pode parar
Like a ping-pong ball, the game cannot stop

Quem tá de fora e espia o movimento
Those who are outside watching the movement

Tem certeza no momento: o movimento é pendular
Are certain that the movement is pendular

A cabeça pende para um lado e para o outro
The head tilts from side to side

Fio de prumo é o corpo quando pode se aprumar
The plumb line is the body when it can straighten up

Planeta terra brincando de pega-pega
Planet Earth playing tag

cometas, de cabra-cega
Comets play blindman's buff

onde é que isso vai dar?
Where is this going?