Coisa da Antiga
Roberto Ribeiro Lyrics
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A roupa que mamãe vestiu quando foi batizada
E mamãe quando era menina teve que passar, teve que passar
Muita fumaça e calor no ferro de engomar
Hoje mamãe me falou de vovó só de vovó
Disse que no tempo dela era bem melhor
Mesmo agachada na tina e soprando no ferro de carvão
Disse que naquele tempo a palavra de um mero cidadão
Valia mais que hoje em dia uma nota de milhão
Disse afinal que o que é de verdade
Ninguém mais hoje liga
Isso é coisa da antiga, ai na tina
Hoje o olhar de mamãe marejou só marejou
Quando se lembrou do velho, o meu bisavô
Disse que ele foi escravo mas não se entregou à escravidão
Sempre vivia fugindo e arrumando confusão
Disse pra mim que essa história do meu bisavô, negro fujão
Devia servir de exemplo a "Esses nego pai João"
Disse afinal que o que é de verdade
Ninguém mais hoje liga
Isso é coisa da antiga, oi na tina
The lyrics of "Coisa da Antiga" by Roberto Ribeiro depict a conversation between a mother and son about the "old days" and the way things used to be. The song begins with the son remembering how his grandmother used to wash clothes in a tina, an old-fashioned wash basin. He recalls how she washed the clothes that his mother wore when she was baptized, and how his mother had to suffer through the heat and smoke of the old-fashioned iron.
The conversation then shifts to how things used to be in the past. The mother nostalgically tells her son that in her mother's time things were better, despite the physical hardship they faced. She remembers how people had more friendship and consideration for each other, and how the word of a simple citizen held more value than a million-dollar bill does now. However, she laments that in the present day, no one cares about these values anymore, and everything that was once important is now "coisa da antiga" - a thing of the past.
Through this song, Roberto Ribeiro is reminiscing about the old times and highlighting the contrast between the past and the present. He is mourning the loss of simple yet important values and is critical of the current state of society.
Line by Line Meaning
Na tina, vovó lavou, vovó lavou
In the tub, grandma washed, grandma washed
A roupa que mamãe vestiu quando foi batizada
The clothes that mom wore when she was baptized
E mamãe quando era menina teve que passar, teve que passar
And when mom was a girl, she had to iron, had to iron
Muita fumaça e calor no ferro de engomar
Lots of smoke and heat from the iron
Hoje mamãe me falou de vovó só de vovó
Today mom talked to me only about grandma
Disse que no tempo dela era bem melhor
She said that in grandma's time it was much better
Mesmo agachada na tina e soprando no ferro de carvão
Even while crouched in the tub, blowing on the coal iron
Tinha-se mais amizade e mais consideração
There was more friendship and consideration
Disse que naquele tempo a palavra de um mero cidadão
She said that in those times, the word of an ordinary citizen
Valia mais que hoje em dia uma nota de milhão
Was worth more than a million-dollar bill these days
Disse afinal que o que é de verdade
She finally said that what is true
Ninguém mais hoje liga
No one cares about it anymore
Isso é coisa da antiga, ai na tina
That's something from the past, oh in the tub
Hoje o olhar de mamãe marejou só marejou
Today mom's eyes only got misty
Quando se lembrou do velho, o meu bisavô
When she remembered the old man, my great-grandfather
Disse que ele foi escravo mas não se entregou à escravidão
She said he was a slave but did not submit to slavery
Sempre vivia fugindo e arrumando confusão
He was always running away and causing trouble
Disse pra mim que essa história do meu bisavô, negro fujão
She told me that the story of my great-grandfather, the runaway black man
Devia servir de exemplo a "Esses nego pai João"
Should be an example for "Those Negroes like João"
Disse afinal que o que é de verdade
She finally said that what is true
Ninguém mais hoje liga
No one cares about it anymore
Isso é coisa da antiga, oi na tina
That's something from the past, oh in the tub
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: NEI LOPES, WILSON MOREIRA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind