Rita helped to incorporate the rock revolution into the creative explosion of tropicalismo, formed the most celebrated Brazilian rock band in the world, Os Mutantes, and created solo songs with enormous popular appeal without losing her freedom and irreverence.
Former member of the group Os Mutantes (1966 — 1972) and leader of the band Tutti Frutti (1973 — 1978), Lee participated in important revolutions in the world of music and society, such as the Tropicália movement during the Brazilian dictatorship, which led her to be the artist with the most censored songs in Brazil during that period. Her songs, usually watered with an acid irony or with a claim for female independence and sexual topics, became ubiquitous in the charts. The album, Fruto Proibido (1975), released together with the band Tutti Frutti, is commonly seen as a fundamental milestone in the history of Brazilian rock, considered by some as her masterpiece.
In 1976, Lee began a romantic relationship with guitarist Roberto de Carvalho and since then he has been the partner on most of her songs and accompanied her in all her live performances. They had three children, including Beto Lee, also a guitarist, who accompanies his parents in concerts. With a career that has reached 50 years, Rita Lee has gone from the musical innovation of the late 1960s and 1970s to the highly successful romantic ballads of the 1980s. In October 2008, Rolling Stone magazine promoted the List of the 100 Greatest Artists in Brazilian Music, where Rita Lee ranks 15th.
In 2001, Rita Lee won the Latin Grammy for Best Portuguese Language Rock Album with "3001". She would receive five more nominations for the award and in 2022, she was awarded the Musical Excellence award for her body of work. In 2012, she announced that she would retire from performing live due to physical frailty. "I retire from shows, but never from music," she wrote on Twitter.
She was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2021 and had been undergoing treatment for the disease. She passed away in her hometown of São Paulo at the age of 75 on May 8, 2023.
Jardim De Allah
Rita Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
E eu te direi quem és
Em terra de bom ladrão
Vão-se os dedos ficam os anéis
Jeová a luta Pastor alemão
Heaven's Gate está em liquidação
Um lixo na boca do céu
A César o que é de Deus
Serpente ou não serpente
Eis a tentação
Compre coração de Eva
Por costela de Adão
Serpente ou não serpente
Eis a tentação
Dalila cortou os cabelos
E o pau de Sansão
Crente que estou abafando
Daime santo para vomitar
Mata Hare Krishna espionando
Testemunhas de Yemanjá
Toma chocolate, paga o que deves
Até aí morreu Tancredo Neves
Haja Guerra Santa para tanta paz
Até aí já foi de retro Barrabás
Serpente ou não serpente
Eis a tentação
Compre coração de Eva
Por costela de Adão
Serpente ou não serpente
Eis a tentação
Dalila cortou os cabelos
E o pau de Sansão
The lyrics to Rita Lee's song Jardim De Allah are complex and layered, and can be interpreted in a number of different ways. At its core, the song is a commentary on religion and the ways in which it can be used for good or for ill. The first verse speaks to the idea that you can judge a person based on the company they keep, and suggests that in a world of thieves, it's better to hold onto what you have than to risk losing it all. The second verse references the story of Adam and Eve, and the idea that temptation is a powerful force that can lead people astray. The third verse focuses on the idea of spiritual experiences and how they can be manipulated or misunderstood by different groups. The final verse touches on political corruption and the idea that even those in power can be tempted by sin.
Overall, Jardim De Allah is a complex and thought-provoking song that speaks to the complexities of human morality and the many different forces that can influence our decisions and actions.
Line by Line Meaning
Dízimo com quem andas
The people you surround yourself with show who you truly are.
E eu te direi quem és
And I will tell you who you are.
Em terra de bom ladrão
In a land of good thieves.
Vão-se os dedos ficam os anéis
Fingers may be lost, but the rings remain.
Jeová a luta Pastor alemão
Jehovah fights with German Shepherds.
Heaven's Gate está em liquidação
Heaven's Gate is having a sale.
Um lixo na boca do céu
Trash in the mouth of the sky.
A César o que é de Deus
Give to Caesar what belongs to God.
Adeus, mundo cruel
Goodbye, cruel world.
Serpente ou não serpente
Snake or not snake.
Eis a tentação
Here is the temptation.
Compre coração de Eva
Buy Eve's heart.
Por costela de Adão
From Adam's rib.
Dalila cortou os cabelos
Delilah cut his hair.
E o pau de Sansão
And the rod of Samson.
Crente que estou abafando
I'm a believer and I'm doing great.
Daime santo para vomitar
Holy Daime to vomit.
Mata Hare Krishna espionando
Kills Hare Krishna for spying.
Testemunhas de Yemanjá
Witnesses of Yemanjá.
Toma chocolate, paga o que deves
Take the chocolate, pay what you owe.
Até aí morreu Tancredo Neves
That's where Tancredo Neves died.
Haja Guerra Santa para tanta paz
There must be a holy war for so much peace.
Até aí já foi de retro Barrabás
Until then, retrograde, Barrabas.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MARIA IMBASSAHY, MARIA IGNEZ ALVES IMBASSAHY, RITA CARVALHO, RITA LEE JONES CARVALHO, RITA LEE JONES DE CARVALHO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind