Daughter of musicians Dorival Caymmi and Stella Maris, and sibling of Danil… Read Full Bio ↴Daughter of musicians Dorival Caymmi and Stella Maris, and sibling of Danilo and Dori Caymmi, Nana was raised in one of the most musical families in Brazil. Nana started singing at an early age and adopted a singular technique which enhanced her low pitch voice. In 1961 she recorded her father's song "Acalanto", and then moved with her husband to Venezuela, an withdrawing from the music bizz for that period. Back in Brazil, Nana released her first album "Nana", for the record label Elenco, which belonged to the music producer Aloysio de Oliveira. In 1966, Nana performed the song "Saveiros" (Dori Caymmi/ Nelson Motta) at the First International Song Festival and was placed first. She has also worked abroad with Sarah Vaughan and Sergio Mendes.

Saudade
Nana Caymmi Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Tantos sonhos eu tive
E eu sonhei com você
Foram sonhos tão tristes
Que eu sonhei com você

A saudade povoa os meus sonhos
Sofre o meu coração
A tristeza me surge nas noites

Tudo é solidão

Mas na realidade
Você também é assim
Vive eterna saudade
Dá desgostos pra mim

E então, eu pergunto porquê
Sem motivo e razão, a sofrer
Este meu coração
Gosta tanto de você

Tantos sonhos eu tive
E eu sonhei com você
Foram sonhos tão tristes
Que eu sonhei com você

A saudade povoa os meus sonhos
Sofre o meu coração
A tristeza me surge nas noites
Tudo é solidão

Mas na realidade
Você também é assim
Vive eterna saudade
Dá desgostos pra mim

E então, eu pergunto porquê
Sem motivo e razão, a sofrer
Este meu coração
Gosta tanto de você

Gosta tanto de você
Tanto, tanto de você

Overall Meaning

Nana Caymmi's song Saudade is a heartfelt expression of longing and nostalgia. The first verse reveals the singer's dreams, which all involve the object of their desire, whom they address in the second person. However, these dreams are "so sad" that they become a source of suffering for the singer. The second verse reveals that the singer is plagued by saudade, the uniquely Brazilian feeling of longing and nostalgia for something that is absent or departed. The saudade is so strong that it fills the singer's dreams and causes their heart to ache with sadness. At night, the singer is engulfed by a sense of loneliness, which accentuates their longing.

The third verse introduces a twist, as the singer expresses the idea that the object of their affection is also burdened by saudade. This creates a sense of mutuality, as both parties are suffering from the same feeling of longing and therefore share a connection. However, this connection is fraught with difficulties, as the object of the singer's affection gives them heartache, which the singer finds hard to bear. The chorus repeats the opening verse, emphasizing the depth of the singer's longing and the intensity of their suffering.

Overall, Saudade is a poignant and melancholic depiction of the pain and beauty of longing, framed within the context of Brazilian cultural traditions.

Line by Line Meaning

Tantos sonhos eu tive
I had so many dreams

E eu sonhei com você
And I dreamt of you

Foram sonhos tão tristes
Those were such sad dreams

Que eu sonhei com você
That I dreamt of you

A saudade povoa os meus sonhos
Longing fills my dreams

Sofre o meu coração
My heart suffers

A tristeza me surge nas noites
Sadness arises in me at night

Tudo é solidão
Everything is loneliness

Mas na realidade
But in reality

Você também é assim
You are the same

Vive eterna saudade
Living with eternal longing