Nascimento was born in Rio de Janeiro, and grew up in Três Pontas, Minas Gerais. His mother was the maid Maria do Carmo Nascimento. When he was just a few months old, the boy was adopted by the family for whom his mother had previously worked: the couple Josino Brito Campos (a banker, mathematics teacher and electronic technician) and Lília Silva Campos (a music teacher). He lived in the boroughs of Laranjeiras and Tijuca in Rio de Janeiro. When he was 18 months old, his biological mother died and he moved with his adoptive parents to the city of Três Pontas, in the State of Minas Gerais.
In the earlier stages of his career, Nascimento played in two samba groups, Evolussamba and Sambacana. In 1963 he moved to Belo Horizonte, and his friendship with the Borges brothers (Marilton, Márcio e Lô Borges) led to the Clube da Esquina ("corner club") movement. Other members included Beto Guedes, Toninho Horta, Wagner Tiso, and Flavio Venturini.
Nascimento is famous for his chime-clear falsetto and tonal range, as well for highly acclaimed songs such as "Canção da América" ("Song from America") and "Coração de Estudante" ("Student's Heart"). The lyrics of "Coração de Estudante" remembers the funeral of the student Edson Luís, killed by police officers in 1968. The song became the hymn for the diretas Já campaign in 1984 and it was also played in the funeral of the late president Tancredo Neves the next year, who died before assuming the presidency.
While his reputation within Brazil was firmly established with his Clube da Esquina works, Nascimento's international breakthrough came with his appearance on jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter's 1974 album "Native Dancer". This led to widespread acclaim, and collaborations with American stars such as Paul Simon, James Taylor, and Pat Metheny.
Through his friendship with guitarist Warren Cuccurullo, Nascimento came to work with the pop-rock band Duran Duran in 1993. Nascimento co-wrote and performed (in the Portuguese language) the song "Breath After Breath", featured on the band's 1993 album "Duran Duran". He also performed with the band in concert when they toured in Brazil, in support of that album. Nascimento earned a Grammy award for "Best World Music Album" in 1998 for his album "Nascimento", and was also nominated in 1991 and 1995.
Castigo
Milton Nascimento Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Diz tanta coisa que não quer dizer
Briga pensando que não vai sofrer
Que não faz mal se tudo terminar
Um belo dia
A gente entende que ficou sozinho
Vem a vontade de chorar baixinho
Você se lembra
Foi isso mesmo que se deu comigo
Eu tive orgulho e tenho por castigo
A vida inteira pra me arrepender
Se eu soubesse
Naquele dia o que sei agora
Eu não seria esse ser que chora
Eu não teria perdido você...
The lyrics of Castigo by Milton Nascimento convey a sense of regret and heartbreak over a lost love. The song opens by describing a common scenario in which a couple argues and says hurtful things to each other, thinking that it won't have any consequences. However, the realization soon hits that one is now alone and the desire to cry and go back arises. The lyrics are poignant as it describes a love that has been lost and the pain that it entails - the regret for not realizing the value of what was once had.
The second verse is highly introspective as the lyrics seem to be a reflection on the singer's own past mistakes in love. He talks about the pride he had that ultimately led to his current state which can be assumed to be a life of loneliness. The last verse contains regret for not having realized what he had before and losing it. He ends by saying that if he had known then what he knows now, he wouldn't be the person who is crying and he wouldn't have lost her.
The theme of lost love and regret is universal and relatable, and the lyrics in Castigo successfully convey the emotions that arise from it. The song is a reflection on the importance of recognizing the value of what we have while we still have it, as once it's gone, it may never come back.
Line by Line Meaning
A gente briga
People fight
Diz tanta coisa que não quer dizer
Say so many things that they don't want to say
Briga pensando que não vai sofrer
Fight thinking that they won't suffer
Que não faz mal se tudo terminar
That it doesn't matter if everything ends
Um belo dia
One beautiful day
A gente entende que ficou sozinho
People understand that they are alone
Vem a vontade de chorar baixinho
Comes the desire to cry softly
Vem o desejo triste de voltar
Comes the sad desire to return
Você se lembra
You remember
Foi isso mesmo que se deu comigo
That's exactly what happened to me
Eu tive orgulho e tenho por castigo
I had pride, and now I have it as a punishment
A vida inteira pra me arrepender
The whole life to regret
Se eu soubesse
If I had known
Naquele dia o que sei agora
On that day what I know now
Eu não seria esse ser que chora
I wouldn't be this crying being
Eu não teria perdido você...
I wouldn't have lost you...
Contributed by Blake Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.