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.
João E Maria
Sivuca Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
E o meu cavalo só falava inglês
A noiva do cowboy
Era você além das outras três
Eu enfrentava os batalhões
Os alemães e seus canhões
Guardava o meu bodoque
Ensaiava um rock para as matinês
Agora eu era o rei
Era o bedel e era também juiz
E pela minha lei
A gente era obrigado a ser feliz
E você era a princesa que fiz coroar
Era tão linda de se admirar
Que andava nua pelo meu país
Não, não fuja não
Finja que agora eu era o seu brinquedo
Eu era o seu peão
Seu bicho preferido
Vem me dê a mão
A gente agora já não tinha medo
No tempo da maldade acho que a gente nem tinha nascido
Agora era fatal
Que faz de conta terminasse assim
Pra lá deste quintal
Era uma noite que não tem mais fim
Pois você
Sumiu no mundo sem me avisar
E agora eu era um louco a perguntar
O que é que a vida vai fazer de mim
In Sivuca's song João e Maria, we are being presented with the story of two children, João and Maria, who face the world together but eventually get separated. The beginning of the song talks about childhood dreams and imagination. The singer tells us how he used to be a hero in his imagination, with his horse only speaking English, and how he had a cowboy bride named Maria whom he had to fight for among three others. He would fight battles against Germans and keep his slingshot close as he practiced rock songs for the matinees.
As the song progresses, the imaginary world disappears and reality sets in. The singer now envisions himself as a king who sets the law of happiness and makes Maria the princess. He talks about her beauty and how she would walk around naked in his country, which could be a metaphor for how comfortable she was in her skin around him. However, as the song continues, Maria disappears without warning, and the singer is left questioning what his purpose in life is. The end of the song talks about how it was destined to end this way, without a proper conclusion, and how the singer is lost without Maria.
Overall, the song is about the loss of innocence and the pain of separation. Childhood dreams and imagination are juxtaposed against adult realities and how they fall short of our expectations. The song's nostalgic tone and the bittersweet melody make it a beautiful and soulful ballad that touches on themes of love, separation, and the passing of time.
Line by Line Meaning
Agora eu era herói
At the time, I was a hero
E o meu cavalo só falava inglês
And my horse only spoke English
A noiva do cowboy
The cowboy's bride
Era você além das outras três
Was you beyond the other three
Eu enfrentava os batalhões
I faced the battalions
Os alemães e seus canhões
The Germans and their cannons
Guardava o meu bodoque
I kept my slingshot
Ensaiava um rock para as matinês
Practiced a rock song for the matinees
Agora eu era o rei
Now I was the king
Era o bedel e era também juiz
Was the janitor and also a judge
E pela minha lei
And by my law
A gente era obrigado a ser feliz
We were obligated to be happy
E você era a princesa que fiz coroar
And you were the princess I crowned
Era tão linda de se admirar
You were so beautiful to admire
Que andava nua pelo meu país
That walked naked through my country
Não, não fuja não
No, don't run away
Finja que agora eu era o seu brinquedo
Pretend that I was your toy now
Eu era o seu peão
I was your pawn
Seu bicho preferido
Your favorite pet
Vem me dê a mão
Come give me your hand
A gente agora já não tinha medo
We're not afraid anymore
No tempo da maldade acho que a gente nem tinha nascido
In the time of evil, I think we weren't even born yet
Agora era fatal
Now it was fatal
Que faz de conta terminasse assim
That make-believe would end like this
Pra lá deste quintal
Beyond this yard
Era uma noite que não tem mais fim
It was a never-ending night
Pois você
Because you
Sumiu no mundo sem me avisar
Disappeared into the world without telling me
E agora eu era um louco a perguntar
And now I was a crazy person asking
O que é que a vida vai fazer de mim
What will life do with me?
Contributed by Hailey J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.