Anitelli had had another band, Madalena 19, and, intending to gather money to record an album, he went to the U.S. to work as a waiter. There he got to know Hermann Hesse's novel Steppenwolf. In the book, the protagonist runs into a man who is advertising the "Magic Theatre", and that's where Anitelli got the name of the album he was working on from.
Back in Brazil he structured the twelve-person project as a mix of music, circus, poetry, and theatre. The group is composed of:
Fernando Anitelli (acoustic guitar, vocal)
Willians Marques (percussion)
Emerson Marciano (bass)
Nenê Santos (drums)
Luis Galdino (violin)
DJ HP (sample, effect and bases)
Rober Tosta (theater, trapeze, stilts)
Daniela Homsi (flute, dance, juggling, fire performances)
Gabi Veiga (fabrics, ground acrobatic, doll)
Ligia Moreno (fabrics, acrobatic, doll)
Toicinho (clown, juggling)
With the project ready, the twelve of them, dressed as clowns, began to tour; word-of-mouth advertising generated positive reviews and responses, and their concerts started growing despite the lack of label or media support. They are responsible for everything about the project - from the make-up and models to promotion, webdesign, and even scheduling their own presentations. With no help except from their fans, the independent project has sold about 80,000 copiesof its first CD, Entrada para Raros.
*Official site
Cidadão de Papelão
O Teatro Mágico Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Um pingado quente, em maus lençóis, nem voz
Nem terno, nem tampouco ternura
À margem de toda rua, sem identificação, sei não
Um homem de pedra, de pó, de pé no chão
De pé na cova, sem vocação, sem convicção
À margem de toda candura
Cria a dor, cria e atura
Cria a dor, cria e atura
Um cara, um papo, um sopapo, um papelão
O cara que catava papelão pediu
Um pingado quente, em maus lençóis, à sós
Nem farda, sem tampouco fartura
Sem papel, sem assinatura
Se reciclando vai, se vai
À margem de toda candura
À margem de toda candura
Não habita, se habitua
Não habita, se habitua
Um homem de pedra, de pó, de pé no chão
The lyrics of O Teatro Mágico's song Cidadão de Papelão highlight the struggles of a man who collects cardboard for a living. The song describes the man's request for a warm drink as he finds himself in dire straits. The lyrics reveal that he lacks both a voice and proper clothing, and is without identity on the margins of society. The song continues to describe the man's state of being as one of staleness, with no hope or conviction, as if he were a man made of stone, dust, and standing on the ground.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "À margem de toda candura" which means "on the edge of all purity". This repeated line suggests the marginalization of these people as they are forced to live on the fringes of society where there is no purity of spirit or hope. They are forced to create and endure pain, and the repetition of the phrase "Cria a dor, cria e atura" reinforces the idea that they are caught in a vicious cycle of creating and enduring their own pain.
Overall, the song is a powerful depiction of the hardships faced by those who are marginalized and forgotten by society. It reminds us to look beyond the surface and acknowledge the humanity and dignity of those who are often overlooked.
Line by Line Meaning
O cara que catava papelão pediu
The man who collected cardboard asked
Um pingado quente, em maus lençóis, nem voz
A hot coffee, in a bad situation, with no voice
Nem terno, nem tampouco ternura
No suit, nor tenderness
À margem de toda rua, sem identificação, sei não
On the edge of every street, with no identification, I don't know
Um homem de pedra, de pó, de pé no chão
A man of stone, of dust, with feet on the ground
De pé na cova, sem vocação, sem convicção
Standing in the grave, with no calling, no conviction
À margem de toda candura
On the edge of all purity
Cria a dor, cria e atura
Creates the pain, creates and endures it
Um cara, um papo, um sopapo, um papelão
A guy, a talk, a punch, and a cardboard
O cara que catava papelão pediu
The man who collected cardboard asked
Um pingado quente, em maus lençóis, à sós
A hot coffee, in bad sheets, alone
Nem farda, sem tampouco fartura
No uniform, nor abundance
Sem papel, sem assinatura
Without paper, without signature
Se reciclando vai, se vai
Recycling himself, he goes, he leaves
Não habita, se habitua
Does not inhabit, but gets used to it
Um homem de pedra, de pó, de pé no chão
A man of stone, of dust, with feet on the ground
Contributed by Keira I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Hevelyn Rodrigues☀️
Essa música apareceu no meu livro de português, me interessei e vim pesquisar...gostei mto
Gabriel Salles
@João Campos é o meu tbm
Dani Paula
O meu também nem conhecia mas adorei
Tk_ Ysplon
O meu tambêm Do portal edebe
João Campos
O meu também,editora Edebê o meu
Margoth Alonso
no meu também apareceu,agora gosto muito dessa musica. Era da editora edebê?
Dionathan Odadjian
Se legião urbana acabou, nasceu O Teatro Magico
Alan Matos de Barros
" De pé na cova, sem vocação, sem convicção " simplesmente DOLOROSA . TM simplesmente GENIAL #PoesiaPrevalece
Nathalia Dall'Asta
Que saudade! participei de um teatro e nele representava essa música, até hoje me lembro, se pudesse voltava e faria tudo de novo. Saudades demais cara
Boddah
Essa música me trás tanta nostalgia... ❤