Ney de Souza Pereira (born August 1, 1941, in Bela Vista, Mato Grosso do Su… Read Full Bio ↴Ney de Souza Pereira (born August 1, 1941, in Bela Vista, Mato Grosso do Sul), widely known as Ney Matogrosso, is a Brazilian singer.

An uncommon artist with an uncommon sopranino voice, Ney Matogrosso fell in the Brazilian popular music scene like a bomb in the '70s aboard the Secos & Molhados. The end of the group marked the beginning of a fertile and successful solo career in which he began exploring his sensuous and charismatic persona through satiric and ironic repertories. As time passed, he substituted self-contained and deeply sensitive interpretations of classics for the popular and classical Brazilian music. Along with his representative and prolific solo discography, for which he received three platinum and three gold records, Matogrosso recorded in Itália with Astor Piazzola, performed in Argentina, Uruguay, participated in two Montreux Jazz Festivals (Switzerland), and toured Portugal several times. He also performed in Israel and the U.S., but always refused invitations to develop an international career. Matogrosso also worked as an actor in Sonho de Valsa (by Ana Carolina, the director, not the singer/composer) and Caramujo Flor (short subject by Joel Pizzini), and directed shows by RPM, Cazuza, and Simone.

Arriving in Rio de Janeiro in 1966, Matogrosso became a hippie leather artisan and divided his time between Rio, São Paulo, and Brasília, where he was a close friend of singer/composer Luli. Through her he met João Ricardo, who had a vision for a groundbreaking group and was searching for a high-pitched male voice. Invited by Ricardo, Matogrosso moved to São Paulo where he spent one year dedicating himself to exhaustive rehearsals, artisanship, and theater plays. With the explosive success of Secos e Molhados and the group's final dissolution, Matogrosso started his solo career exploring his unusual voice timbre, his mesmerizing scenic persona, and his androgynous visuals, enhanced by innovative and exotic costumes. A second solo album, Água do Céu - Pássaro, was supported by the show Homem de Neanderthal, in 1975, with which Matogrosso opened in Rio de Janeiro, drawing both raves and packed houses. "Barco Negro" and "Homem com H" appeared amongst considerable polemics aroused by the usual conservatives on duty. In that period, he worked with Astor Piazzola in Milan, Italy, where he recorded a double single with the Argentinean composer. A cleaner Matogrosso recorded Bandido in 1976, having his first national hit as a solo artist with "Bandido Corazón," written especially for him by Rita Lee.

Mente Mente
Ney Matogrosso Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Por favor chegue cedo
E abra a porta devagar
Devagar, devagar

Cante uma canção lenta
Lenta, lenta, lenta, lenta

Ou ligue o rádio baixo

Baixo, baixo, baixo, baixo

Deite ao meu lado calmamente
Mente, mente, mente, mente

E me aperte furiosamente
Mente, mente, mente, mente

E me deixe alto, alto, alto
E me deixe alto, alto, alto

Daí eu te prometo
Prometo sim
Te deixar

Mole, mole, mole
Mole, mole, mole

Deite ao meu lado calmamente
Mente, mente, mente, mente

E me aperte furiosamente
Mente, mente, mente, mente

E me deixe alto, alto, alto
E me deixe alto, alto, alto

Daí eu te prometo
Prometo sim
Te deixar

Mole, mole, mole
Mole, mole, mole

Mole, mole, mole
Mole, mole, mole

Mole, mole, mole
Mole, mole, mole

Daí eu te prometo
Prometo sim
Te deixar

Mole

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Ney Matogrosso's song "Mente Mente" appear relatively simple, but they leave a lot of space for interpretation. The first verse sets a tone of caution and slowness, with the singer asking their lover to arrive early and open the door gently. This request for delicacy and attention to detail continues with the next line, as the singer asks for a slow song or low radio volume. The repetition of the word "mente," which means "mind" or "lie" in Portuguese, at the end of each line suggests that the singer is considering something carefully as they make these requests.

The chorus brings a shift, as the singer asks their lover to lie next to them calmly and squeeze them tightly. However, the repetition of "mente" makes it unclear whether this request for physical intimacy is a genuine desire or a lie meant to skew the other person's perception. The final verse repeats the promise to leave, but adds the word "mole" repeatedly, which can mean "soft" or "easy" in Portuguese. This repetition of an ambiguous word further clouds the meaning of the song, leaving it open to interpretation.

Line by Line Meaning

Por favor chegue cedo
Please arrive early

E abra a porta devagar
And open the door slowly

Devagar, devagar
Slowly, slowly

Cante uma canção lenta
Sing a slow song

Lenta, lenta, lenta, lenta
Slow, slow, slow, slow

Ou ligue o rádio baixo
Or turn the radio down

Baixo, baixo, baixo, baixo
Low, low, low, low

Deite ao meu lado calmamente
Lie down beside me calmly

Mente, mente, mente, mente
Mind, mind, mind, mind

E me aperte furiosamente
And squeeze me fiercely

E me deixe alto, alto, alto
And leave me high, high, high