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.
Vera Cruz
Milton Nascimento Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mas onde já nem sei
Em Vera me larguei
E deito nesta dor
Meu corpo sem lugar
Ah, quisera esquecer
A moça que se foi
É o pranto que ficou
Do norte que sonhei
Das coisas do lugar
Dos mimos me larguei
Correndo sem parar
Buscar Vera Cruz
Nos campos e no mar
Mas ela se soltou
No norte se perdeu
Se ela em outra mansidão
Um dia ancorar
E ao vento me esquecer
Ao vento me amarrei
E nele vou partir
Atrás de Vera Cruz
Ah, quisera encontrar
A moça que se foi
Do lar de Vera Cruz
E o pranto que ficou
Do norte que perdi
Das coisas do lugar
The lyrics of Milton Nascimento's song Vera Cruz tell the story of a man who has lost his way, both physically and emotionally. He doesn't know where he is anymore, and his heart is weighed down with the pain of losing someone dear to him. He has thrown himself into Vera Cruz, a place that seems to represent both a physical location and a state of mind. He lies there in his pain, feeling lost and disconnected.
The moça (young woman) he has lost is from Vera Cruz, and he is haunted by memories of her and the things he has lost. He longs to forget her but cannot. The beauty and comfort of the north that he once dreamed of is now replaced with a deep sense of loss and sorrow. He searches for her relentlessly, running without stopping, but it seems that she has slipped away from him and is lost in the north.
In this song, Nascimento captures the experience of being adrift in the world, both physically and emotionally. The sense of longing and loss is palpable in the lyrics, and the haunting melody reinforces the theme of searching for what has been lost. The song leaves the listener with a sense of melancholy but also of hope – the hope that, just maybe, the lost love will be found again someday.
Line by Line Meaning
Hoje foi que a perdi
Today was when I lost her
Mas onde já nem sei
But where, I don't even know anymore
Em Vera me larguei
I dropped myself in Vera
E deito nesta dor
And lay in this pain
Meu corpo sem lugar
My body without a place
Ah, quisera esquecer
Ah, I wish I could forget
A moça que se foi
The girl who left
De nossa Vera Cruz
From our Vera Cruz
É o pranto que ficou
It is the tears that remained
Do norte que sonhei
From the North that I dreamed of
Das coisas do lugar
From the things of the place
Dos mimos me larguei
I dropped the pamperings
Correndo sem parar
Running without stopping
Buscar Vera Cruz
To search for Vera Cruz
Nos campos e no mar
In the fields and in the sea
Mas ela se soltou
But she broke away
No norte se perdeu
She got lost in the North
Se ela em outra mansidão
If she anchors herself in another calmness
Um dia ancorar
One day she'll anchor
E ao vento me esquecer
And forget me in the wind
Ao vento me amarrei
I tied myself to the wind
E nele vou partir
And I'll depart with it
Atrás de Vera Cruz
In pursuit of Vera Cruz
Ah, quisera encontrar
Ah, I wish I could find
A moça que se foi
The girl who left
Do lar de Vera Cruz
From the home of Vera Cruz
E o pranto que ficou
And the tears that remained
Do norte que perdi
From the North that I lost
Das coisas do lugar
From the things of the place
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Marcio Hilton Fragoso Borges, Milton Silva Campos Do Nascimento
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind