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.
Dona Olimpia
Milton Nascimento Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Vê se não esquece de mentir
Dizer até manhã
E não regressar mais
Vê se não esquece de sumir
É ficou assim, caiu no ar
É passou assim, não quer passar
E não vai parar mais
Nem de vez em quando vai sarar
Me xinga me deixa me cega
Mas vê se não esquece de voltar
Tentar compreender
Quase não falar mais
E nem ser preciso perdoar
Me xinga me deixa me cega
Mas vê
se não esquece de amar
In this song, Milton Nascimento sings about a woman named Dona Olimpia who has left him. He pleads with her to not forget to cry and to lie, to say goodbye and not come back, to disappear completely, but to remember to come back. He also acknowledges the pain and hurt that her leaving has caused him, but despite that, he still wants her to come back and to love him.
The lyrics convey a sense of desperation and longing for someone who has left but also a conflicting desire to move on and forget the pain. The repetition of phrases such as "não vai parar mais" (it won't stop anymore) and "me xinga, me deixa,me cega" (insult me, leave me, blind me) emphasizes the intensity of his emotions.
Overall, the song seems to capture the complex emotions that come with a breakup - the desire to forget and move on, but also the conflicting need to hold onto the one who has left.
Line by Line Meaning
Vai e não esquece de chorar
Leave, but don't forget to cry
Vê se não esquece de mentir
Make sure you don't forget to lie
Dizer até manhã
Say 'until tomorrow'
E não regressar mais
And never come back
Vê se não esquece de sumir
Make sure you don't forget to disappear
É ficou assim, caiu no ar
And it stayed like this, hanging in the air
É passou assim, não quer passar
And it passed like this, but doesn't want to go away
Não pára de doer
It doesn't stop hurting
E não vai parar mais
And it won't ever stop
Nem de vez em quando vai sarar
It won't even heal slightly from time to time
Me xinga me deixa me cega
Insult me, leave me, blind me
Mas vê se não esquece de voltar
But make sure you don't forget to come back
Tentar compreender
Try to understand
Quase não falar mais
Almost not speaking anymore
E nem ser preciso perdoar
And not even needing to forgive
Me xinga me deixa me cega
Insult me, leave me, blind me
Mas vê
But see
Contributed by Connor P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.