He is best known internationally for his work with Scandinavian jazz musicians in the 1980s. His most famous songs are the Brazilian popular classic "João e Maria" with lyrics by Chico Buarque and the accordion standard "Feira de Mangaio". He is also famous for his use of makeshift instruments playing alongside conventional ones and for his versatility, fusing traditional regional styles like forro and Chorinho with jazz, bossa nova, classical, and other musical forms.
Sivuca and Hermeto Pascoal, both versatile multi-instrumentalists with albinism, have worked together and are sometimes confused with each other.
Asa Branca
Sivuca Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Qual fogueira de São João
Eu perguntei a Deus do céu, ai
Por que tamanha judiação
Que braseiro, que fornalha
Nem um pé de plantação
Por falta d'água perdi meu gado
Até mesmo a Asa Branca
Bateu asas do sertão
Então eu disse: Adeus, Rosinha
Guarda contigo meu coração
Hoje longe, muitas léguas
Numa triste solidão
Espero a chuva cair de novo
Pra eu voltar pro meu sertão
Quando o verde dos teus olhos
Se espalhar na plantação
Eu te asseguro: não chores, não, viu?
Que eu voltarei, viu?
Meu coração.
The song "Asa Branca" by Sivuca is a heartbreaking tribute to those who have suffered through drought and famine in the Brazilian sertão, or backcountry. The first verse sets the scene of a land burning like a São João (St. John's Day) bonfire, and the singer asks God why such a cruelty is being inflicted on the people of the region. He describes the dry and barren land, with no crops growing as a result of the lack of water, and the death of his cattle and beloved horse, Alazão, due to dehydration.
The second verse mentions the legendary Asa Branca, a kind of bird known for its impressive wingspan that symbolizes freedom and the elusive hope of rain in the sertão. The bird itself has flown away from the region, echoing the singer’s sense of loss and abandonment. The verse ends with the singer bidding farewell to his beloved Rosinha, asking her to keep his heart safe.
In the final verse, the singer is far away from his home, lost and alone, waiting for the rains to come again so he can return to his sertão. He promises Rosinha that when the green of her eyes spreads through the plantation, she need not cry because he will come back to her, to his home, and to his heart.
Overall, "Asa Branca", with its simple yet poignant lyrics and its beautiful melody, is a deeply moving tribute to the hardships of the Brazilian sertão and a testament to the strength and resilience of those who call it home.
Line by Line Meaning
Quando olhei a terra ardendo
When I looked at the land burning
Qual fogueira de São João
Like a Saint John bonfire
Eu perguntei a Deus do céu, ai
I asked God in heaven, oh
Por que tamanha judiação
Why such cruelty?
Que braseiro, que fornalha
What a blaze, what a furnace
Nem um pé de plantação
Not even a plant growing
Por falta d'água perdi meu gado
I lost my cattle due to lack of water
Morreu de sede, meu alazão
My chestnut horse died of thirst
Até mesmo a Asa Branca
Even the White-Winged Dove
Bateu asas do sertão
Flapped its wings and left the backcountry
Então eu disse: Adeus, Rosinha
So I said goodbye, Rosinha
Guarda contigo meu coração
Keep my heart with you
Hoje longe, muitas léguas
Now far away, many leagues
Numa triste solidão
In a sad loneliness
Espero a chuva cair de novo
I hope the rain falls again
Pra eu voltar pro meu sertão
So I can go back to my backcountry
Quando o verde dos teus olhos
When the green of your eyes
Se espalhar na plantação
Spreads over the field
Eu te asseguro: não chores, não, viu?
I assure you: don't cry, okay?
Que eu voltarei, viu?
Because I'll come back, okay?
Meu coração.
My heart.
Contributed by Alexander M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.