Born in Rio de Janeiro to a family deeply rooted in the samba tradition, Paulinho met and befriended much of Rio's samba elite as a child. His father was a guitar player and musicians like Pixinguinha and Jacob do Bandolim would often come to his house for rehearsals, which Paulinho watched for hours on end. After the rehearsals, Paulinho would pick up his father's guitar and strum the few chords he knew. Later, as a teenager, he was frequently seen at jams at Jacob do Bandolim's house, quietly and attentively observing the older, more experienced musicians. He began writing his own songs as a teenager, but never considered a career as a professional musician until he met poet Hermínio Bello de Carvalho in 1964. By then, Paulinho was working as a teller at a bank in Rio de Janeiro, and recognised Hermínio from the jam sessions at Jacob do Bandolim's house. The two became close friends and soon began writing music together. The first song they wrote together was Duvide-o-dó, recorded by singer Isaurinha Garcia. He then began performing his own songs at a restaurant in Rio, owned by samba legend Cartola and his wife.
He got his famous nickname in 1965, when he was a member of the samba group A Voz do Morro (the voice of the hills), alongside Zé Keti and Oscar Bigode. After their first recording session, a publicist from the record label reportedly told him "'Paulo César' is not a samba name!". Zé Keti and journalist Sérgio Cabral eventually came up with the nickname "Paulinho da Viola" (something to the lines of "Guitar Paul").
By the 1970s, Paulinho was at the most prolific stage of his career, releasing an average of one album per year. He was already a household name in samba, choro and MPB circles and broadened his audience by touring all over Brazil and also playing at festivals in Europe and the USA. His productivity and popularity had waned by the mid-80s, when he decided to focus more on his songwriting. In 1996 he regained notoriety after releasing the much-acclaimed album Bebadosamba, in which he once again joined forces with Hermínio Bello de Carvalho and Elton Medeiros, his early songwriting partners. He still lives in Rio de Janeiro and performs around Brazil.
Nada de Novo
Paulinho Da Viola Lyrics
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Sobre a minha mesa
O vento espalha as cinzas que deixei
Em forma de poemas antigos
Relidos
Perdido enfim confesso
Até chorei
Nada mais importa
Meu samba sem razão
Se acabou
Um sonho foi desfeito
Alguma coisa diz
Preciso abandonar
Os versos que já fiz
Nada de novo
Capaz de despertar
Minha alegria
O sol, o céu, a rua
Um beijo frio, um ex-amor
Alguém partiu, alguém ficou
É carnaval
Eu gostaria de ver
Essa tristeza passar
Um novo samba compor
Um novo amor encontrar
Mas a tristeza é tão grande no meu peito
Não sei pra que a gente fica desse jeito
In this song, Paulinho Da Viola sings about the aftermath of a breakup. He sets the scene by describing the papers scattered on his desk and the ashes left behind by his old poems, now revisited and reread. He confesses to feeling lost and shedding tears as a result of his old love leaving him. The feeling of sadness is all-consuming, and he acknowledges that everything else in life – including his music – has lost its significance. He dreams of writing a new samba, finding a new love, and watching his heartache vanish with the arrival of the carnival, but instead, he is entrenched in his melancholy and unsure how to move on.
It's a poignant reflection on heartbreak, with poetic lyrics that capture the pain of lost love. The repetition of "nada de novo" (nothing new) reflects the idea that despite hoping for something to change – to find inspiration, joy, or love again – the singer is ultimately still stuck in a place of misery. It's a beautiful piece of slow, contemplative samba that encapsulates the sadness and longing that we all feel at the end of a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Papéis sem conta
There are countless papers on my desk
Sobre a minha mesa
They're spread across my desk
O vento espalha as cinzas que deixei
The wind scatters the ashes I left behind
Em forma de poemas antigos
They're in the form of old poems
Relidos
I reread them
Perdido enfim confesso
I confess I feel lost
Até chorei
I even cried
Nada mais importa
Nothing else matters
Você passou
You've moved on
Meu samba sem razão
My samba now has no meaning
Se acabou
It's over now
Um sonho foi desfeito
A dream has been shattered
Alguma coisa diz
Something tells me
Preciso abandonar
I need to let go of
Os versos que já fiz
The verses I've already written
Nada de novo
Nothing new
Capaz de despertar
That can awaken
Minha alegria
My happiness
O sol, o céu, a rua
The sun, the sky, the street
Um beijo frio, um ex-amor
A cold kiss, a former love
Alguém partiu, alguém ficou
Someone left, someone stayed
É carnaval
It's carnival
Eu gostaria de ver
I'd like to see
Essa tristeza passar
This sadness fade away
Um novo samba compor
Compose a new samba
Um novo amor encontrar
Find a new love
Mas a tristeza é tão grande no meu peito
But the sadness in my heart is too great
Não sei pra que a gente fica desse jeito
I don't know why we act this way
Contributed by Hunter V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Francisco Angelo
Isso é o que se pode chamar de samba grã-fino. Só o Mestre Paulinho para nos dar o prazer de ouvir música tão simples quanto linda.
Maria Tereza
Nada mais haverá de novo.
Maria Tereza
Fazendo de conta que estou feliz
.
Mina Antiga ex .
Nada valeu a pena
Mina Antiga ex .
Nada valeu a pena
francisco alves
essa música deveria se chamar depressão
Giovanna Jardim
Jesus é o novo e a alegria. E a alegria nele é a nossa força. Não precisa viver desse jeito.
groki
Giovanna, isso a gente descobre dentro da gente! Vamo ouvir esse belo samba sem pensar em mais nada. : )
Victor Herbert
Agora deu
Everything is my delusion
???