Nara Lofego Leão (January 19, 1942, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil — June … Read Full Bio ↴Nara Lofego Leão (January 19, 1942, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil — June 7, 1989, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), best known as Nara Leão, was a diverse MPB singer, acoustic guitarist and occasional actress and songwriter, associated with many genres and movements, such as bossa nova, samba de morro, protest song, Tropicália, música nordestina and others, quickly gaining the title of "Musa da Bossa Nova" (Muse of Bossa Nova) ever since the beginning of her career.

When she was twelve, her father gave her a guitar since he was worried about her being shy. Popular musician and composer Patricio Teixeira and classical guitarist Solon Ayala were her teachers. While still a teenager, she met a number of singers and composers who took part of Bossa Nova's musical revolution, in late 50s and early 60s, including Roberto Menescal, Carlos Lyra, Ronaldo Bôscoli, João Gilberto and Antônio Carlos Jobim.

By 1963, after singing as an amateur for a few years, she became a professional and toured with Sergio Mendes. In the mid-1960s, the institution of military dictatorship in Brazil led her to sing increasingly political lyrics. Her show "Opinião" reflected her political beliefs and she had largely switched to political music by this point. In 1964, she even spoke against bossa nova as a movement, calling it "alienating". In 1968, being part of the Tropicália movement, she appeared on the album Tropicália: ou Panis et Circenses, performing "Lindonéia."

She later left Brazil for Paris and in the 1970s abandoned music to focus on her family. She returned to music later and when she discovered, in 1979, that she had an inoperable brain tumor she increased her productivity as much as possible. She died in 1989, leaving a great legacy behind her succesful years of career.

Canto livre
Nara Leão Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Enquanto espero eu canto
Se desespero eu canto
Enquanto vou eu canto
Na eterna volta eu canto
E no encanto de cantar
Se canto perdida eu canto, canto, canto
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la

Se nao tem sentido o meu cantar
Qual o sentido de nao cantar?
Se na manhã primeira eu nao cantei
Na derradeira eu cantarei
Todas as buscas tem o seu canto
Todos os cantos são encontrados, eu canto, canto
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la

La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la

Overall Meaning

Nara Leão's "Canto Livre" is a song that speaks to the importance and inevitability of singing, even in the face of desperation or despair. The lyrics suggest that singing is a constant, a way to pass the time while waiting for something to happen, a way to express oneself when things feel out of control. Even when there seems to be no meaning in singing, the act of singing itself gives life a sense of purpose.

The lyrics also touch on the idea that singing is essential to finding meaning in life. All searches have their own songs, and all songs are discovered through singing. The song encourages us to sing through both the good and the bad times, because in the end, it is through song that we can find the true meaning behind our struggles and joys. The repeated phrase "la, la, la" throughout the song serves as a reminder that even if we don't have words to express ourselves, we can still find solace in singing.

Line by Line Meaning

Enquanto espero eu canto
While I wait, I sing

Se desespero eu canto
If I despair, I sing

Enquanto vou eu canto
While I go, I sing

Na eterna volta eu canto
In the eternal return, I sing

E no encanto de cantar
And in the charm of singing

Se canto perdida eu canto, canto, canto
If I sing lost, I sing, sing, sing

La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la

Se nao tem sentido o meu cantar
If my singing has no meaning

Qual o sentido de nao cantar?
What is the point of not singing?

Se na manhã primeira eu nao cantei
If on the first morning I didn't sing

Na derradeira eu cantarei
On the ultimate one, I will sing