Paula was raised by her paternal grandparents, Paulo and Renée. Paulo was a retired surgeon, an ex-adviser of the president of Brazil and of the government of the state of Guanabara, a historian and also an author of several books. Renée was a homemaker and the manager of a boarding house for senior women.
In her infancy and adolescence, the predominant music in her home was that of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin, among other classical performers. Along with Spanish music and opera. On the more modern side, she also listened to the music of Carmen Miranda, Elis Regina and The Beatles (the only rock her grandfather would accept). In school, Paula took ballet and English classes with the intention of becoming an English professor.
At the age of 17, she began taking courses in Industrial Design and Visial Comunication at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica of Rio de Janeiro (PUC) and started studying French. In conjunction with her course work, she did an internship in a visual programming office where she would put into practice the things she learned in school. In the meanwhile, she would arrange side jobs to complement her small salary. Her side jobs included translating books and term papers for her fellow students, assuming the position of secretary in her dance studio during the holidays and revised her grandfather's books. In her brother's room, she heard for the first time James Brown and Tim Maia.
The first discs she bought were the soundtracks of her favorite telenovelas (which included songs by Stevie Wonder, Marcos Valle, and the Jackson Five). After that, she got interested in Janis Joplin and Rita Lee. She would often go to small parties called "Arrastas" where they would play artists like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Billy Paul, Michael Jackson. Once in the university, she became addicted to listening to the radio.
By 1982, she was already singing in the group Kid Abelha, and two years later, she gave up on school right before reaching graduation. In the same year, she began taking voice lessons with a professor and lyrical singer Vera Maria do Canto e Mello and started singing Lieder (songs) in German, which awoke her interest in the language that she still studies today.
One of her favorite pastimes is to take long drives alone in her car, listening to loud music. This is how she comes up with most of her lyrics which she tries to write down while she drives. The bathroom tub is also one of the places she prefers to think of lyrics in.
Since 1987, she has been married with the cinematographer Lui Farias and has one son, Gabriel.
More about in www.paulatoller.com
Long Way from Home
Paula Toller Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
but it's a stranger's face in there
Rake my hair back with a plastic comb
Where'd I go?
I'm feeling like a long way from home
You were sweet to care for me
And gently stroke my hair for me
And whisper low
but I'm feeling like I'm a long way from home
I don't know where I'm going
I don't know what I'm doing
Sleep again won't come to me
I walk outside
The galaxies and stars surround the whole world like a
dome
I'm still alone
And I'm feeling like I'm a long, long way from home
The lyrics of Paula Toller's "Long Way From Home" convey a sense of disconnection and displacement. The first verse finds the singer stopping to look in a mirror, only to see a stranger staring back at them. The plastic comb references a cheap and disposable tool, adding to the feeling of isolation and transience. The second verse is directed at someone who cared for the singer in a tender way, but even this is not enough to dispel the sense of distance. The feeling of being lost is reinforced in the chorus, where the singer admits to not knowing where they are going or what they are doing.
The final verse finds the singer awake in the middle of the night, unable to sleep. The image of the galaxies and stars surrounding the world creates a sense of infinite awe, but this awe is tempered by the singer's loneliness. Even in the vastness of the universe, the singer feels alone and far from any sense of home or belonging. Overall, the lyrics of "Long Way From Home" create a haunting sense of displacement and disorientation.
Line by Line Meaning
In a mirror stop and stare
I stare at my reflection in a mirror
but it's a stranger's face in there
But I don't recognize the person staring back
Rake my hair back with a plastic comb
I use a plastic comb to brush my hair back
Where'd I go?
I'm wondering where I'm headed
I'm feeling like a long way from home
I feel lost and far from home
You were sweet to care for me
You were kind to take care of me
And gently stroke my hair for me
You lovingly ran your fingers through my hair
Put me on a mattress made of foam
You placed me on a comfortable foam mattress
And whisper low
You whispered softly
but I'm feeling like I'm a long way from home
But I still feel lost and distant from home
I don't know where I'm going
I don't know where I'm headed
I don't know what I'm doing
I'm unsure of my actions and decisions
Sleep again won't come to me
I can't fall asleep again
I walk outside
I step outside
The galaxies and stars surround the whole world like a dome
The sky is filled with stars and the galaxies, forming a dome around us
I'm still alone
I'm still solitary
And I'm feeling like I'm a long, long way from home
I'm still feeling lost and distant from home
Contributed by Alyssa H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.