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.
Comprimido
Paulinho da Viola Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dela no braço
Pra depois mostrar pro delegado
Se acaso ela for se queixar
Da surra que levou
Por causa de um ciúme incontrolado
Ele andava tristonho
Chegava e saía
Comer não comia
E só bebia
Cadê a paz
Tanto que deu pra pensar
Que poderia haver outro amor
Na vida do nego
Pra desassossego
E nada mais
Seu delegado ouviu e dispensou
Ninguém pode julgar coisas de amor
O povo ficou intrigado com o acontecido
Cada um dando a sua opinião
Ela acendeu muita vela
Pediu proteção
O tempo passou
E ninguém descobriu
Como foi que ele
Se transformou
Uma noite
Noite de samba
Noite comum de novela
Ele chegou
Pedindo um copo d'água
Pra tomar um comprimido
Depois cambaleando
Foi pro quarto
E se deitou
Era tarde demais
Quando ela percebeu
Que ele se envenenou
Seu delegado ouviu
E mandou anotar
Sabendo que há coisas
Que ele não pode julgar
Só ficou intrigado
Quando ela falou
Que ele tinha mania
De ouvir sem parar
Um samba do Chico
Falando das coisas do dia-a-dia
The song "Comprimido" by Paulinho Da Viola tells the story of a man who becomes consumed by jealousy, leading him to physically abuse his partner. The opening lyric, "Deixou a marca dos dentes/Dela no braço" ("She left the mark of her teeth/On his arm"), describes the physical evidence of the abuse that the man leaves on his partner. He does this intentionally, so that if she tries to report the abuse to the police, he can use the marks as evidence that she is lying.
The verses that follow paint a picture of a man who is tormented by his own insecurities and paranoia. He appears depressed and withdrawn, unable to eat and only drinking to numb his pain. The lyrics suggest that he suspects his partner of infidelity, which causes him great distress. The line "Tanto que deu pra pensar/Que poderia haver outro amor/Na vida do nego" ("So much that he started to think/That there might be another love/In his life") reveals his fear that his partner is seeing someone else.
Despite his abuse of her, the woman remains faithful to the man, even going so far as to light candles and pray for his safety when he is in trouble. The lyrics suggest that she feels trapped in the relationship, unable to leave even though she is being harmed. In the end, the man tragically takes his own life by ingesting a pill, leaving behind unanswered questions about how he became the person he was.
Line by Line Meaning
Deixou a marca dos dentes Dela no braço
He left her teeth marks on his arm
Pra depois mostrar pro delegado Se acaso ela for se queixar Da surra que levou Por causa de um ciúme incontrolado
To then show the delegate in case she complains about the beating she received because of uncontrollable jealousy
Ele andava tristonho Guardando um segredo Chegava e saía Comer não comia E só bebia Cadê a paz
He walked around sad, keeping a secret. He would come and go, not eating but only drinking. Where's the peace?
Tanto que deu pra pensar Que poderia haver outro amor Na vida do nego Pra desassossego E nada mais
So much that one could think there could be another love in the man's life, causing restlessness and nothing more
Seu delegado ouviu e dispensou Ninguém pode julgar coisas de amor O povo ficou intrigado com o acontecido Cada um dando a sua opinião
The delegate listened and dismissed it. No one can judge matters of love. The people were intrigued by what happened, each giving their opinion.
Ela acendeu muita vela Pediu proteção O tempo passou E ninguém descobriu Como foi que ele Se transformou
She lit many candles and asked for protection. The time passed and no one found out how he changed.
Uma noite Noite de samba Noite comum de novela Ele chegou Pedindo um copo d'água Pra tomar um comprimido Depois cambaleando Foi pro quarto E se deitou Era tarde demais Quando ela percebeu Que ele se envenenou
One night, a night of samba, just like any other night. He arrived and asked for a glass of water to take a pill. Later, staggering, he went to bed. It was too late when she realized he had poisoned himself.
Seu delegado ouviu E mandou anotar Sabendo que há coisas Que ele não pode julgar Só ficou intrigado Quando ela falou Que ele tinha mania De ouvir sem parar Um samba do Chico Falando das coisas do dia-a-dia
The delegate listened and took note, knowing there are things he cannot judge. He was only intrigued when she said he had a habit of listening non-stop to a samba by Chico, speaking about daily things.
Contributed by Alice B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.