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.
Tigresa
Ney Matogrosso Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Uma mulher, uma beleza que me aconteceu
Esfregando a pele de ouro marrom
Do seu corpo contra o meu
Me falou que o mau é bom e o bem cruel
Enquanto os pelos dessa deusa tremem ao vento ateu
Ela me conta sem certeza tudo o que viveu
E hoje dança no Frenetic Dancin′ Days
Ela me conta que era atriz e trabalhou no Hair
Com alguns homens foi feliz, com outros foi mulher
Que tem muito ódio no coração, que tem dado muito amor
E espalhado muito prazer e muita dor
Mas ela ao mesmo tempo diz que tudo vai mudar
Porque ela vai ser o que quis inventando um lugar
Onde a gente e a natureza feliz, vivam sempre em comunhão
E a tigresa possa mais do que o leão
As garras da felina me marcaram o coração
Mas as besteiras de menina que ela disse não
E eu corri pro violão num lamento
E a manhã nasceu azul
Como é bom poder tocar um instrumento
The song Tigresa by Ney Matogrosso is a powerful expression of the singer's encounter with a captivating and enigmatic woman, whom he describes as a "tigress with black nails and honey-colored irises". The lyrics vividly evoke the sensuality and allure of the woman's body, as she presses her bronze skin against his and whispers that "evil is good and goodness is cruel". Matogrosso describes how the tigress shares with him her uncertain memories of a life filled with contradictions and challenges, from her past as a political activist in the 1960s to her present as a dancer in a trendy club. She reveals that she has known both happiness and pain, love and hate, pleasure and sorrow, yet she remains determined to create a world where humans and nature can live in harmony, and where the tigress can rule over the lion.
The recurring motif of the tigress symbolizes the untamed and unapologetic aspect of human nature, which can be both dangerous and irresistible. The ambiguity of her character reflects the complexity of human emotions and desires, and the tensions between individual freedom and social norms. At the same time, the song celebrates the transformative power of art and music, as Matogrosso finds solace and inspiration in his guitar, which allows him to express his feelings and connect with the world around him. The last line of the song, "How good it is to be able to play an instrument", suggests that music can be a source of joy, healing, and creativity, and that it has the potential to transcend boundaries of language, culture, and identity.
Line by Line Meaning
Uma tigresa de unhas negras e íris cor de mel
The singer describes a fierce woman with black nails and honey-colored eyes.
Uma mulher, uma beleza que me aconteceu
The singer states that this woman is a beauty he happened to encounter.
Esfregando a pele de ouro marrom
The woman rubs her golden-brown skin against his.
Do seu corpo contra o meu
Her body presses against his.
Me falou que o mau é bom e o bem cruel
The woman tells him that evil is good and good is cruel.
Enquanto os pelos dessa deusa tremem ao vento ateu
While the hairs of this goddess tremble in the atheist wind.
Ela me conta sem certeza tudo o que viveu
Uncertainly, she tells him about everything she has experienced.
Que gostava de política em mil novecentos e sessenta e seis
She talks about how she enjoyed politics in 1966.
E hoje dança no Frenetic Dancin′ Days
Currently, she dances at Frenetic Dancing Days.
Ela me conta que era atriz e trabalhou no Hair
She reveals that she used to be an actress and worked in the musical Hair.
Com alguns homens foi feliz, com outros foi mulher
She was happy with some men and with others, she was the woman.
Que tem muito ódio no coração, que tem dado muito amor
She conveys that she has a lot of hatred and has given as much love.
E espalhado muito prazer e muita dor
She has spread pleasure and pain.
Mas ela ao mesmo tempo diz que tudo vai mudar
Despite this, she proclaims that everything will change.
Porque ela vai ser o que quis inventando um lugar
She will become what she wants and create a place of her own.
Onde a gente e a natureza feliz, vivam sempre em comunhão
A place where people and nature live happily in communion.
E a tigresa possa mais do que o leão
And the Tigress will be more powerful than the Lion.
As garras da felina me marcaram o coração
The claws of the feline have imprinted on his heart.
Mas as besteiras de menina que ela disse não
The nonsensical things she said did not bother him.
E eu corri pro violão num lamento
He runs to his guitar in lament.
E a manhã nasceu azul
And the morning dawned blue.
Como é bom poder tocar um instrumento
How good it is to be able to play an instrument.
Writer(s): Caetano Veloso
Contributed by Eva W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Luana Souza
☆
Uma tigresa de unhas negras e íris cor de mel
Uma mulher, uma beleza que me aconteceu
Esfregando a pele de ouro marrom do seu corpo contra o meu
Me falou que o mal é bom, e o bem, cruel
Enquanto os pelos dessa deusa tremem ao vento ateu
Ela me conta, sem certeza, tudo o que viveu
Que gostava de política em 1966
E hoje dança no Frenetic Dancing Days
Ela me conta que era atriz e trabalhou no Hair
Com alguns homens foi feliz, com outros foi mulher
Que tem muito ódio no coração, que tem dado muito amor
E espalhado muito prazer e muita dor
Mas ela ao mesmo tempo diz que tudo vai mudar
Porque ela vai ser o que quis, inventando um lugar
Onde a gente e a natureza feliz vivam sempre em comunhão
E a tigresa possa mais do que o leão
As garras da felina me marcaram o coração
Mas as besteiras de menina que ela disse, não
E eu corri pra o violão num lamento, e a manhã nasceu azul
Como é bom poder tocar um instrumento
☆
Tomás Tobias
Um salve a quem coloca esses vídeos com essas pérolas pra gente!
Ana Julia
Maravilhosa música
ANDRÉ D
"...Que a Tigresa possa mais do que o leão"..
Belo, não, BELÍSSIMO 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Francisco Assis
Esse dueto foi em 1977 . É um registro com um teor de riqueza infinita
Thaíse Miranda
Simm 😍
Mateus Henrique Pienta Fagundes
Bom ser brasileiro ein. Ter esses caras como base.
Ale ARAVENA OBREQUE
tienes suerte, yo soy de Chile uwu. You're relly lucky
Jair Silva
Hoje em dia, eu tenho é vergonha de ser Brasileiro!
Alberto Santos
O nome disso é Amor. Não existe outro nome! A doçura do encontro, são nesses momentos que ser brasileiro e baiano me enche de alegria. Amo os dois, principalmente o Caetano, a quem eu chamo de pai.
Maria
Que privilegiado ouvir esses dois talentos juntos!
Geniais, insubstituíveis.
❤️❤️❤️🌹