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.
Filosofia do Samba
Paulinho da Viola Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Não preciso de razão
Pois a razão
Está sempre com os dois lados
Amor é tema tão falado
Mas ninguém seguiu
Nem cumpriu a grande lei
Liberdade e Igualdade
Aonde estão não sei
Mora na filosofia
Morou, Maria!
Morou, Maria?
Morou, Maria!
Pra cantar samba
Veja o tema na lembrança
Cego é quem vê só aonde a vista alcança
Mandei meu dicionário às favas
Mudo é quem só se comunica com palavras
Se o dia nasce, renasce o samba
Se o dia morre, revive o samba
The lyrics of "Filosofia do Samba" by Paulinho Da Viola talk about the essence of samba and its relationship with love, reason, and philosophy. The first verse says that to sing samba, there's no need for reason because reason exists on both sides, meaning that there's no right or wrong, just individual perspectives. The second verse talks about how love is such a prevalent theme, but despite that, nobody follows the greatest law, which is to love others before oneself. The singer states that he doesn't know where freedom and equality are, suggesting that they aren't present in reality.
The chorus talks about how the philosophy of samba is embodied in a person named Maria, who may be a metaphor for the representation of the philosophy of samba. The singer addresses her saying, "Did you stay in philosophy, Maria?" which may mean that the embodiment of samba's philosophy exists within oneself and is subjective. The last verse mentions that true samba is not just about the words, but it's about feeling music and that communication happens beyond words.
Line by Line Meaning
Pra cantar samba
To sing samba
Não preciso de razão
I do not need a reason
Pois a razão
Because Reason
Está sempre com os dois lados
Always sides with both
Amor é tema tão falado
Love is a frequently spoken topic
Mas ninguém seguiu
But no one has followed
Nem cumpriu a grande lei
Nor did they fulfill the big law
Cada qual ama a si próprio
Each one loves themselves
Liberdade e Igualdade
Freedom and equality
Aonde estão não sei
Where they are, I don't know
Mora na filosofia
It lies in philosophy
Morou, Maria!
Did you live there, Maria? (referring to someone who lived in philosophy)
Morou, Maria?
Did you live there, Maria?
Morou, Maria!
Did you live there, Maria?
Pra cantar samba
To sing samba
Veja o tema na lembrança
Remember the theme
Cego é quem vê só aonde a vista alcança
Blind is the one who only sees where the eyes reach
Mandei meu dicionário às favas
I threw my dictionary away
Mudo é quem só se comunica com palavras
Mute is the one who only communicates through words
Se o dia nasce, renasce o samba
If the day is born, samba is reborn
Se o dia morre, revive o samba
If the day dies, samba comes alive again
Contributed by Maya M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Edson Luiz Candido
Fidalguia e elegância impecáveis! 😁😂👍🏼
Istarco Silva
O lorde sambista,verdadeiro cavalheiro cantando,compondo e vivendo.Tenho orgulho de te_lo conhecido em Botafogo,no Cantinho da Fofoca.Salve Paulinho!!
Wellingthon Chaves
Frase mais completa não existe: cego é quem enxerga até aonde a vista alcança.
Lapidar!
Santos Pessoa
E grande paulinho da viola
Santos Pessoa
Grande candeia
Hilton Barlach
morou, Maria???