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.
Encontro
Paulinho da Viola Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
E a vida para mim começou naquele dia
eu andava pelas ruas te sonhando,te esperando
te sentindo em cada samba
que do coração tirei
Teu nome era segredo,mas ninguem quis me dizer
E o mundo não sabia o quanto eu esperei
Alo,alo è o moço que canta samba
Tenho andado em tua vida,pelo que ouço dizer
faz um samba com meu nome
que eu me encontro com você
Alô,alo respondi farei agora
por favo não vai embora que eu preciso te dizer
que a nâo ser minha viola nao tenho muito na vida
Meu pobre samba é a rosa que penso te oferecer
Guardei o nosso encontro,teu sorriso teus encantos
E procurei todo mundo pra contar o que senti
Cantei o samba em teu nome e vi no mundo o espanto
A ninguem guardei segredo do amor que consegui.....
In Paulinho Da Viola's song Encontro, the lyrics speak about a chance encounter between two individuals whose identities are unknown to each other. The singer of the song shares that they had kept the memory of the other's gaze but did not know their name until the day their life started. The singer would wander the streets, dreaming and waiting for the mysterious person while feeling their presence in every samba they created from the heart. Although the person's name was a secret, the singer asked around, but no one would inform them, and the world did not know how long they waited.
Eventually, the singer hears the mysterious person's voice at a party and identifies themself, expressing their desire to meet them. The singer requests that the person be the subject of the next samba they make and asks to meet them through the song. The mysterious person responds, and the singer promises to create the samba with their name, presenting it as a token of their affection. Ultimately, the two meet and fall in love, and the singer feels compelled to share this love with the world through their music.
The song Encontro tells the story of how love can uncover secrets, create a bond between two individuals, and inspire music. The lyrics capture the essence of the soulful samba that Paulinho Da Viola is known for producing. The song's poetic and expressive lyrics touch the hearts of many music lovers worldwide.
Line by Line Meaning
Guardei o teu olhar,mas teu nome eu não sabia
I kept your look, but I didn't know your name
E a vida para mim começou naquele dia
And life began for me on that day
eu andava pelas ruas te sonhando,te esperando
I walked the streets dreaming of you, waiting for you
te sentindo em cada samba que do coração tirei
Feeling you in every samba that I created from my heart
Teu nome era segredo,mas ninguem quis me dizer
Your name was a secret, but nobody wanted to tell me
E o mundo não sabia o quanto eu esperei
And the world didn't know how much I waited
Alo,alo è o moço que canta samba
Hello, hello, it's the young man who sings samba
sou eu a moça da festa, tenho em meu nome Maria
I'm the girl from the party, my name is Maria
Tenho andado em tua vida,pelo que ouço dizer
I've been walking in your life, as I hear
faz um samba com meu nome que eu me encontro com você
Make a samba with my name, and I'll meet you
Alô,alo respondi farei agora
Hello, hello, I replied, I'll do it now
por favo não vai embora que eu preciso te dizer
Please don't go away, I need to tell you
que a nâo ser minha viola nao tenho muito na vida
That besides my guitar, I don't have much in life
Meu pobre samba é a rosa que penso te oferecer
My poor samba is the rose that I think to offer you
Guardei o nosso encontro,teu sorriso teus encantos
I kept our meeting, your smile, your charms
E procurei todo mundo pra contar o que senti
And I searched for everyone to tell them what I felt
Cantei o samba em teu nome e vi no mundo o espanto
I sang the samba in your name and saw the world's surprise
A ninguem guardei segredo do amor que consegui.....
I didn't keep the secret of the love I acquired from anyone
Contributed by Sebastian E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Bé Paes
samba lindo!♥️🌹
Arthur Diniz
Canção maravilhosa!
Abraços de Petrolina-PE.
Ademar Amâncio
Mauro Ferreira me trouxe aqui,mais uma da série ''Músicas para descobrir em casa''.
Ademar Amâncio
Ouvindo várias vezes,eu sempre acho que a música termina antes de terminar,rs.