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.
O Mundo é Um Moinho
Ney Matogrosso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mal começaste a conhecer a vida
Já anuncias a hora de partida
Sem saber mesmo o rumo que irás tomar
Preste atenção, querida
Embora eu saiba que estás resolvida
Em cada esquina cai um pouco a tua vida
Ouça-me bem, amor
Preste atenção, o mundo é um moinho
Vai triturar teus sonhos, tão mesquinho
Vai reduzir as ilusões a pó
Preste atenção, querida
De cada amor tu herdarás só o cinismo
Quando notares estás à beira do abismo
Abismo que cavaste com os teus pés
Ainda é cedo, amor
Mal começaste a conhecer a vida
Já anuncias a hora de partida
Sem saber mesmo o rumo que irás tomar
Preste atenção, querida
Embora eu saiba que estás resolvida
Em cada esquina cai um pouco a tua vida
Em pouco tempo não serás mais o que és
Ouça-me bem, amor
Preste atenção, o mundo é um moinho
Vai triturar teus sonhos, tão mesquinho
Vai reduzir as ilusões a pó
muita atenção, querida
De cada amor tu herdarás só o cinismo
Quando notares estás à beira do abismo
Abismo que cavaste com os teus pés
Ney Matogrosso's song "O Mundo é Um Moinho" is a melancholic portrayal of how life can be cruel and unpredictable. The opening line, "Ainda é cedo, amor" (It's still early, my love), sets the tone for the song, as it expresses a sense of hopelessness and inevitability. The lyrics caution against becoming too confident, too quickly, as life can take unexpected turns at any moment.
The song's central metaphor compares the world to a mill, grinding away at one's dreams and reducing them to dust. The repetition of the phrase "preste atenção" (pay attention) emphasizes the urgency of this message. The lyrics suggest that one must keep a close eye on their life and their surroundings, as danger can lurk around every corner. The lines, "De cada amor tu herdarás só o cinismo" (From every love, you will inherit only cynicism) and "Abismo que cavaste com os teus pés" (The abyss you dug with your own feet) warn against becoming too jaded and digging oneself into a hole of despair.
Overall, "O Mundo é Um Moinho" is a poignant, timeless song that speaks to the human predicament of struggling against the unforgiving nature of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Ainda é cedo, amor
It's still early, my love
Mal começaste a conhecer a vida
You've barely begun to know life
Já anuncias a hora de partida
You already announce your departure time
Sem saber mesmo o rumo que irás tomar
Without even knowing the path you'll take
Preste atenção, querida
Pay attention, my dear
Embora eu saiba que estás resolvida
Although I know you're determined
Em cada esquina cai um pouco a tua vida
At every corner, a bit of your life slips away
Em pouco tempo não serás mais o que és
Soon, you won't be who you are anymore
Ouça-me bem, amor
Listen to me carefully, my love
Preste atenção, o mundo é um moinho
Pay attention, the world is a windmill
Vai triturar teus sonhos, tão mesquinho
It will grind your dreams so cruelly
Vai reduzir as ilusões a pó
It will reduce illusions to dust
Preste atenção, querida
Pay attention, my dear
De cada amor tu herdarás só o cinismo
From each love, you will only inherit cynicism
Quando notares estás à beira do abismo
When you realize, you'll be on the edge of the abyss
Abismo que cavaste com os teus pés
An abyss that you dug with your own feet
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Angenor De Oliveira
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ney Matogrosso
Não deixe de conferir o álbum "Bloco Na Rua" que já está disponível nas plataformas digitais: https://somlivre.lnk.to/Bloco_Na_Rua_Deluxe
Maria Brito
Maravilhoso👏🏽😍
Luiz Carlos Soprano
Amo tuas canções e interpretações. Te amo fraternalmente também.
Olá Daniel
Eu queria tanto ter ido no seu show aqui em Belém no Hangar Centro de Convenções, meu filho tinha acabado de nascer e eu e minha esposa não tínhamos como sair de casa, mas estamos ansiosos esperando sua volta à Belém...
Luciana Santos
você é o gênio da musica
Re T
Venha para Lisboa!
Vlad da Matta Oficial
As músicas em si são lindas, mas quando o Ney as interpreta, elas sobem para um patamar divino....
Órion Aldebaran
👏👏👏
judasdoisum
Assino embaixo
Raúl Miguel Gentili
Concordo!!