He spent his youth in Ubatuba, in the state of São Paulo until the age of 14 when he left for Taubaté, where he lived until the age of 24. At the beginning of the 1960s he worked as a DJ at Rádio Difusora in Taubaté, where he discovered Sertaneja music by way of Teodoro Israel, a nightclub DJ. In 1967 he moved to São Paulo, where, at the Patachou bar he shared tables with such contemporaries as Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa and Geraldo Vandré.
More recently he wrote the song Rapaz Caipira (country boy) as criticism of the current mass-produced commercialized Sertaneja music, iniciating a rebirth of the term música caipira--loosely translated as hillbilly music (in a pejorative sense) music of the country folks. He is a defender of the música raiz (roots music), caipira, which is still around despite the changing face of Sertaneja music.
Arraial
Renato Teixeira Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Uma cana verde pra disfarçar
E a gente canta invejando o fogo
Que a gente acende pra se esquentar
Me diz compadre o que é que se passa
Pela cabeça do pessoal
Que é feito um sino soando triste
Num fim de tarde lá no arraial
Do dia-a-dia pra se constatar
Que só nos cabe o que o velho lobo
Não conseguiu pôr no seu bornal
Que coisa triste, meu bom compadre,
Sentir inveja de um animal
Correndo livre, sem compromisso,
Pelas campinas do arraial
Se vai roçando... arraial
In Renato Teixeira's song "Arraial", the lyrics describe a scene in a small town where every night the guitar is played to distract and cover up the sadness and jealousy felt by the people. As they warm themselves by the fire, they sing enviously of the freedom of the wolf who runs carefree through the fields. The singer asks his friend what is going on in the heads of the people, comparing them to a sad bell ringing at the end of the day in the town square. The song reflects on the struggles of everyday life and how people try to cope with it, by pretending that everything is fine and being envious of a simple animal who knows no struggles.
The use of nature and the concept of freedom is a recurring theme throughout the song. The people in the town yearn for the same freedom that the wolf has, but they are confined to their daily struggles. The guitar is also used as a symbol of escape, a way for the people to momentarily forget about their problems and sing along, creating a moment of connection with each other. The song ultimately portrays a sense of melancholy and longing for something more, perhaps a simpler life where one can be as carefree and wild as the wolf.
Line by Line Meaning
E toda noite a viola rasga
Every night, the guitar plays
Uma cana verde pra disfarçar
Green sugar cane to disguise
E a gente canta invejando o fogo
And we sing, envying the fire
Que a gente acende pra se esquentar
That we light up to warm ourselves
Me diz compadre o que é que se passa
Tell me, my friend, what is going on
Pela cabeça do pessoal
In people's minds
Que é feito um sino soando triste
It sounds like a sad bell
Num fim de tarde lá no arraial
In the late afternoon in the village
Se vai roçando a vida na guerra
Life goes on in the struggle
Do dia-a-dia pra se constatar
To be realized in the day-to-day
Que só nos cabe o que o velho lobo
That only what the old wolf couldn't catch is left for us
Não conseguiu pôr no seu bornal
Couldn't put in his bag
Que coisa triste, meu bom compadre,
What a sad thing, my good friend,
Sentir inveja de um animal
To feel envy of an animal
Correndo livre, sem compromisso,
Running free, without obligation
Pelas campinas do arraial
Through the fields of the village
Se vai roçando... arraial
Life goes on... in the village
Writer(s): Renato Teixeira de Oliveira Copyright: Warner/Chappell Edicoes Musicais Ltda
Contributed by Mila G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Marcos Benaia
Toda a obra do Renato Teixeira é inspiração de Deus 🙏
Marcos Benaia
Uma das minhas músicas preferidas do Renato Teixeira.