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.
Only a Dream in Rio
Milton Nascimento Lyrics
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O mar é o meu pai
O verde é a luz
Sorrindo em meu olhar
Pois eu digo
É mesmo um sonho o rio
Tudo será como deve ser
Eu garanto, é um lugar diferente
A minha gente carrega uma cruz
Mas tem força pra mudar
Strange taste of a tropical fruit
Romantic language of the Portuguese
Melody on a wooden flute
Samba floating in the Summer breeze
Float on
It's alright you can stay asleep
You can close your eyes
You can trust the people of paradise
To call your keeper
And to tender your goodbyes
Oh, what a night
Wonderful one in a million
Frozen fire Brazilian
Oh, Holy Southern Cross
Later on take me way downtown
In a tin can isle
I can't come down from the bandstand
I'm never thrown for such a loss
When they say
O lugar de onde eu vim
Brota no coração
O lugar aonde eu nasci
Está no mundo e em mim
O lugar que a gente sonhar
Pode existir, existirá
Vive em nós e viverá
Enquanto houver canção
Caught in the rays of the rising sun
On the run from the soldier's gun
Shouting out loud from
The angry crowd
The mild, the wild and the hungry child
I'll tell you it's more than
A dream in Rio
I was there on the very day
Dói demais o coração, e era mais
Mais do que nossas vozes
Mais do que o nosso rosto
Mais do que a luz do olhar
But it's more than the shining eye
(Mais do que a luz do olhar)
More than the steaming green
(Mais do que o verdejar)
More than the hidden hills
(Tudo o que não se viu)
More than the concrete Christ
(Mais do que o Redentor)
More than a distant land (mais do que a Terra Mãe)
Over the shining sea (mais do que o céu e o mar)
More than a hungry child (a fome a nos doer)
More like another time (o tempo a nos curtir)
Born of a million years (mais do que um milhão)
More than a million years (de anos pra sonhar)
The lyrics of "Only a Dream in Rio" by Milton Nascimento describe the singer's connection to nature and his home country, Brazil. He refers to the Earth as his mother and the sea as his father, and describes the beauty of the natural world as "smiling in his eyes." Nascimento then sings about the city of Rio de Janeiro, which he describes as a dreamlike place where everything will be as it should be. He expresses his desire to be there with someone he cares about, and assures them that it is a different and special place.
The song also touches on themes of social justice and protest. Nascimento acknowledges that his people carry a heavy burden, but they also have the strength to bring about change. The lyrics mention a "strange taste" of tropical fruit, likely alluding to the exoticness and the unknown aspects of Brazil. He also references the Portuguese language and the musical traditions of samba and wooden flutes. Nascimento goes on to describe the pain in his heart caused by inequality, but also the hope he sees for a better future through music and dreaming.
Line by Line Meaning
A Terra é minha mãe
The Earth is my mother
O mar é o meu pai
The sea is my father
O verde é a luz
The green is the light
Sorrindo em meu olhar
Smiling in my eyes
Pois eu digo
For I say
É mesmo um sonho o rio
The river is really a dream
Tudo será como deve ser
Everything will be as it should be
Quero estar com você lá
I want to be there with you
Eu garanto, é um lugar diferente
I guarantee it's a different place
A minha gente carrega uma cruz
My people carry a cross
Mas tem força pra mudar
But they have strength to change
Strange taste of a tropical fruit
Unfamiliar taste of a tropical fruit
Romantic language of the Portuguese
Romantic language of Portugal
Melody on a wooden flute
Melody played on a wooden flute
Samba floating in the Summer breeze
Samba music floating in the summer breeze
Float on
Float along
It's alright you can stay asleep
It's okay to stay asleep
You can close your eyes
You can close your eyes
You can trust the people of paradise
You can trust the people of paradise
To call your keeper
To call for your protection
And to tender your goodbyes
And say your goodbyes
Oh, what a night
Oh, what a night
Wonderful one in a million
One wonderful night out of a million
Frozen fire Brazilian
Frozen fire of Brazil
Oh, Holy Southern Cross
Oh, Holy Southern Cross
Later on take me way downtown
Later, take me far downtown
In a tin can isle
On an island made of tin cans
I can't come down from the bandstand
I can't leave the bandstand
I'm never thrown for such a loss
I'm never at a loss
When they say
When people say
O lugar de onde eu vim
The place where I came from
Brota no coração
Springs from the heart
O lugar aonde eu nasci
The place where I was born
Está no mundo e em mim
Is in the world and in me
O lugar que a gente sonhar
The place where we dream
Pode existir, existirá
It can exist, it will exist
Vive em nós e viverá
Lives in us and will live
Enquanto houver canção
As long as there is a song
Caught in the rays of the rising sun
Catching the rays of the rising sun
On the run from the soldier's gun
Running from the soldier's gun
Shouting out loud from
Shouting loudly from
The angry crowd
The angry crowd
The mild, the wild and the hungry child
The gentle, the spirited, and the hungry child
I'll tell you it's more than
I'll tell you it's more than
A dream in Rio
A dream-like experience in Rio
I was there on the very day
I was there on that exact day
Dói demais o coração, e era mais
The heart aches too much, and it was more
Mais do que nossas vozes
More than our voices
Mais do que o nosso rosto
More than our faces
Mais do que a luz do olhar
More than the light in our eyes
But it's more than the shining eye
But it's more than just a sparkle in your eye
More than the steaming green
More than the lush greenery
More than the hidden hills
More than the elusive hills
More than the concrete Christ
More than the statue of Christ made of concrete
More than a distant land
More than a far-off land
Over the shining sea
Beyond the sparkling sea
More than a hungry child
More than a child suffering from hunger
More like another time
More like another era
Born of a million years
Born from millions of years
More than a million years
More than a million years to dream
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMES TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind