Os Mutantes is a Brazilian psychedelic rock band formed during the Tropical… Read Full Bio ↴Os Mutantes is a Brazilian psychedelic rock band formed during the Tropicalista Movement in 1966, in São Paulo, by Arnaldo Baptista, Rita Lee and Sérgio Dias.

The band is considered one of the main groups in Brazilian rock. Like most groups from the 1960s, Os Mutantes were heavily influenced by The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and Sly & the Family Stone. However, Brazilian musicians were also immersed in their local culture, exercising their own creativity in the use of feedback, distortion and studio tricks of all kinds, just as was done by the Liverpool quartet and the group The Beach Boys. In this sense, Mutantes were pioneers in mixing rock and roll with Brazilian musical and thematic elements. Another characteristic of the group was irreverence. Like Os Mutantes, there began to be a kind of mixture of foreign and Brazilian music and the addition of new ideas, with doses of experimentalism, thus opening the way for musical hybridism.

Os Mutantes began their activities in 1966, as a trio, when they performed on the program O Pequeno Mundo de Ronnie Von on TV Record. On the eve of the program's premiere, the trio had the name "Os Bruxos", but neither Rita Lee nor the Dias Baptista brothers (Arnaldo and Sérgio) were satisfied with that name and wanted to change it. According to Carlos Calado,[2] the idea for the name "Os Mutantes" came from an ironic joke between Alberto Helena Júnior, the program's producer, and Ronnie Von, who, at the time, was reading O Império dos Mutantes, by Stefan Wul, and did not talk about any other subject. "Are you guys still looking for a name for the boys ensemble? Why not The Mutants?" Ronnie Von liked Alberto Helena's idea and took it to the group, who approved it immediately.

The group soon became one of the main exponents of the new MPB, influenced by Tropicália, until it dissolved in 1978. Over these twelve years, nine albums were recorded, two of which - O A e o Z and Tecnicolor - were only released on 1990s, when the group began to be recognized, on the national and international rock scene, as one of the most creative, dynamic, radical and talented of the psychedelic era and the history of world rock. In 2006, the band reunited, without Rita Lee or Liminha, but with the presence of Arnaldo Baptista and Zélia Duncan on vocals. The following year, Arnaldo and Zélia left the band, which was recomposed with other musicians and continues to perform under the leadership of Sérgio Dias, the only remaining member of the original lineup.

Dom Quixote
Os Mutantes Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

A vida é um moinho
É um sonho o caminho
É do Sancho, o Quixote
Chupando chiclete

O Sancho tem chance
E a chance é o chicote
É o vento e a morte

Mascando o Quixote

Chicote no Sancho
Moinho sem vinho
Não corra me puxe
Meu vinho meu crush

Que triste caminho
Sem Sancho ou Quixote
Sua chance em chicote
Sua vida na morte

Vem devagar
Dia há de chegar
E a vida há de parar
Para o Sancho descer

E os jornais todos a anunciar
Dulcinéia que vai se casar

A vida é um moinho
É um sonho o caminho
É do Sancho, o Quixote
Chupando chiclete

O Sancho tem chance
E a chance é o chicote
É o vento e a morte
Mascando o Quixote

Chicote no Sancho
Moinho sem vinho
Não corra me puxe
Meu vinho meu crush

Que triste caminho
Sem Sancho ou Quixote
Sua chance em chicote
Sua vida na morte

Vê, vê que tudo mudou
Vê, o comércio fechou
E o menino morreu

Vê, vê que tudo mudou
E os jornais todos a anunciar
Armadura e espada a rifar
Dom Quixote cantar na TV
Vai cantar pra subir

Palmas para Dom Quixote que ele merece (palmas)

Overall Meaning

The Portuguese lyrics of Os Mutantes's song, Dom Quixote, seem to hint at the idea of life being a passing dream, much like the path that the character Don Quixote, from Cervantes's novel of the same name, follows. The lyrics talk about Sancho and Quixote, the heroic yet delusional protagonist from the story, and their chance at leading a fulfilling life. However, it seems that Sancho is stuck in a cycle of being whipped by the metaphorical "chicote" or whip, which could represent hardships, while Quixote chews on gum or "chiclete" - seemingly oblivious to the pain Sancho is going through. Both characters are at the mercy of the whims of fortune, symbolized by "o vento e a morte," or the wind and death. Yet, despite these struggles, the lyrics still hold on to hope - asking someone to slow down and saying that the day will come when life will stop, and there might be some peace to be had.

The verses near the end of the song talk about a stark change that has come over the world, with commerce shutting down and children dying, which could represent the tumultuous events that are often present in people's lives. The last few lines are a tribute to the character of Don Quixote, who is celebrated for his idealism despite being out of touch with reality.

Overall, the meaning behind Os Mutantes's Dom Quixote seems to be that even though life is often difficult and unpredictable, one can still hold on to the idea of hope and idealism, much like the character in the story who gives the song its name.

Line by Line Meaning

A vida é um moinho
Life is like a windmill, constantly turning and changing

É um sonho o caminho
The journey of life is like a dream

É do Sancho, o Quixote
Life's journey belongs to both Sancho and Quixote, which represent different aspects of our personalities

Chupando chiclete
Representing the mundane details of everyday life and how we occupy ourselves with simple pleasures

O Sancho tem chance
We all have a chance in life, much like Sancho

E a chance é o chicote
But in order to succeed, we have to be disciplined and use all the tools at our disposal

É o vento e a morte
The wind and death are constant companions on life's journey

Mascando o Quixote
Even the heroic Quixote must face the mundane aspects of life and continue to persevere

Chicote no Sancho
Sancho faces discipline and hardship in order to succeed in life

Moinho sem vinho
Life can be like a windmill without any tangible reward, leaving us feeling unfulfilled

Não corra me puxe
Take it slow and steady, pulling back from the urgency of life and focusing on the present

Meu vinho meu crush
Finding small pleasures and romances in life to help us cope with the difficulties

Que triste caminho
The path of life can be sad and lonely

Sem Sancho ou Quixote
Without both sides of our personality working together, we can become lost and directionless

Sua chance em chicote
Discipline and hard work are key to finding success in life

Sua vida na morte
Death is an inevitable part of life and we must find a way to make the most of it

Vem devagar
Take life slowly, do not rush

Dia há de chegar
This too shall pass, a new day will come

E a vida há de parar
Life will eventually come to an end

Para o Sancho descer
For Sancho to rest, to be at peace

E os jornais todos a anunciar
The media reporting on daily life, both the good and the bad

Dulcinéia que vai se casar
Even in the midst of life's chaos, there are moments of joy and happiness, such as a wedding

Vê, vê que tudo mudou
Life can change in an instant, and we must be prepared to adapt

E o comércio fechou
The closing of businesses represents the changing times and the transient nature of life

E o menino morreu
Death is a constant reminder of the fragility of life

Armadura e espada a rifar
Even the symbols of strength and power can be lost or traded away

Dom Quixote cantar na TV
The media can use famous figures, such as Quixote, to represent the changing times and to bring about a sense of collective joy and community spirit

Vai cantar pra subir
The entertainment industry can provide a momentary escape from life's harsh realities

Palmas para Dom Quixote que ele merece (palmas)
Celebrating the heroic figure of Quixote who represents the best of human resilience and determination

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Arnaldo Baptista, Rita Lee Jones Carvalho

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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