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.
Levantados do Chão
Milton Nascimento Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Como assim? Levantados do chão?
Como embaixo dos pés uma terra
Como água escorrendo da mão?
Como em sonho correr numa estrada?
Deslizando no mesmo lugar?
Como em sonho perder a passada
Como então? Desgarrados da terra?
Como assim? Levantados do chão?
Ou na planta dos pés uma terra
Como água na palma da mão?
Habitar uma lama sem fundo?
Como em cama de pó se deitar?
Num balanço de rede sem rede
Ver o mundo de pernas pro ar?
Como assim? Levitante colono?
Pasto aéreo? Celeste curral?
Um rebanho nas nuvens? Mas como?
Boi alado? Alazão sideral?
Que esquisita lavoura! Mas como?
Um arado no espaço? Será?
Choverá que laranja? Que pomo?
Gomo? Sumo? Granizo? Maná?
The lyrics of “Levantados do Chão” by Milton Nascimento are deeply introspective and somewhat existential, seeking to explore the idea of displacement and uprooting from one’s own land. The questions posed in the song are reflective of the struggles and challenges faced by communities that have been forcibly removed from their homes or have been let down by a society that has failed to provide them with the necessary support system. The opening lines, “Como então? Desgarrados da terra? Como assim? Levantados do chão?” are particularly poignant as they express the confusion and disorientation felt by those who have lost their connection to the land which they once called home.
The song then moves on to describe a dream-like state where one feels like they are running on a road that leads nowhere or losing their footing and falling into the hollows of the earth. The imagery painted is powerful and tactile, with the lyrics invoking the feeling of soil and water slipping through one’s fingers. The song also hints at the idea of land being a form of security and comfort, and how the loss of it can leave one feeling lost and vulnerable. The lyrics, “Ou na planta dos pés uma terra, Como água na palma da mão?” allude to this sense of loss and dislocation that can only be felt by those who have experienced it.
Line by Line Meaning
Como então? Desgarrados da terra?
How can we be disconnected from the land we come from?
Como assim? Levantados do chão?
How can we be lifted from the ground without roots to anchor us?
Como embaixo dos pés uma terra
As if there's a whole world beneath our feet, sustaining us.
Como água escorrendo da mão?
But like water, it can slip away so easily.
Como em sonho correr numa estrada?
How does it feel to run but get nowhere?
Deslizando no mesmo lugar?
Like you're sliding instead of making progress.
Como em sonho perder a passada
Or even worse, being unable to keep up with the pace of life.
E no oco da Terra tombar?
Until you fall into the pit of despair.
Ou na planta dos pés uma terra
But maybe we can find some ground to stand on, some sense of belonging.
Como água na palma da mão?
Something to hold onto, like water in the palm of our hand.
Habitar uma lama sem fundo?
What if we end up in quicksand, with no way out?
Como em cama de pó se deitar?
Or stuck in the dust, unable to move or breathe.
Num balanço de rede sem rede
Swinging back and forth, but with no safety net.
Ver o mundo de pernas pro ar?
Seeing the world upside down, everything topsy-turvy.
Como assim? Levitante colono?
How can we be floating colonizers, disconnected from our roots and our fellow humans?
Pasto aéreo? Celeste curral?
Feeding on thin air, trapped in a heavenly pen.
Um rebanho nas nuvens? Mas como?
A herd of sheep in the clouds? How is that possible?
Boi alado? Alazão sideral?
A winged cow, a cosmic stallion... these are strange, impossible creatures.
Que esquisita lavoura! Mas como?
What a strange harvest... but how was it grown?
Um arado no espaço? Será?
Plowing the void of space with a cosmic plow? Is that even possible?
Choverá que laranja? Que pomo? Gomo? Sumo? Granizo? Maná?
What kind of fruits will it bear? Or will it rain down hail, manna from heaven?
Contributed by Jackson W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Edvaldo Cardim Barreto Junior
Magistral. Apaixonante. A luta continua.
Ethel Lima
O show mais lindo ,do Bituca.!
Jonatan Franco
Eu gosto