Paulinho da Viola (born Paulo César Batista de Faria on November 12, 1942) … Read Full Bio ↴Paulinho da Viola (born Paulo César Batista de Faria on November 12, 1942) is a Brazilian guitar, cavaquinho and bandolin player, known for his sophisticated harmonies and soft, gentle singing voice.

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.

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Maria Sambamba
Paulinho da Viola Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

As vezes eu quero brigar com ela
Só pra sair na Portela
Mas não encontro razão ( razão )
Porque, sendo um samba brasileiro
Ela sambando na Mangueira ou no Salgueiro
Está defendendo, o nosso pavilhão

Eu conheci Mariazinha
Em Caxias, no Cartolinha
Depois em Jacarepaguá, foi sambar na União
Por ser azul e branco
A cor que tanto lhe seduz
Diz findar a carreira
No Acadêmicos de Osvaldo Cruz

Maria Sambamba todos conhecem
Quando entra no samba agente padece
Com o seu jeito de bambolear
De gingar e sambar

Já me contaram que um falso folião, metido a bamba
Até um milhão gastaria
Pra conquistar Sambamba

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Paulinho Da Viola's song "Maria Sambamba" are a tribute to the beauty and grace of a woman named Maria who is known for her exquisite samba dancing skills. The song begins with the singer expressing his desire to have an argument with her just so that he can leave with her to the Portela samba school. However, he fails to find a reason to argue with her because she is a true representation of Brazilian samba and represents their flag whenever she dances in the Mangueira or Salgueiro samba schools.

The song then takes us on a journey into Maria's life, beginning with her introduction to the singer in Caxias, at the Cartolinha samba school. Afterwards, he sees her again in Jacarepaguá, dancing in the União school of samba. Maria's love for the blue and white colors leads her to end her dancing career in the Acadêmicos de Osvaldo Cruz samba school.

"Maria Sambamba" is a celebration of the free spirit and energy of Maria who is well-known among samba enthusiasts. Her signature style of dancing, which involves swaying and sashaying to the rhythm, has captivated people, making them forget about their worries and immerse themselves in the joy of the samba rhythm.

Line by Line Meaning

As vezes eu quero brigar com ela
Sometimes I feel like arguing with her

Só pra sair na Portela
Just to go out to Portela

Mas não encontro razão ( razão )
But I don't find a reason

Porque, sendo um samba brasileiro
Because, being a Brazilian samba

Ela sambando na Mangueira ou no Salgueiro
Her sambaing at Mangueira or Salgueiro

Está defendendo, o nosso pavilhão
Is defending our flag

Eu conheci Mariazinha
I met Mariazinha

Em Caxias, no Cartolinha
In Caxias, at Cartolinha

Depois em Jacarepaguá, foi sambar na União
Later in Jacarepaguá, she went to samba at União

Por ser azul e branco
Because of blue and white

A cor que tanto lhe seduz
The color that seduces her so much