Viver
The band´s interesting name did not come about until journalist João Piment… Read Full Bio ↴The band´s interesting name did not come about until journalist João Pimentel, writing for Brazil´s top selling daily paper O Globo, made a reference in one of his articles to the group of musicians that played with Teresa Cristina every Saturday night at the bar Semente, placed in one of Rio´s most bohemian neighborhoods, Lapa. It was in 1998 that Bernardo, João, Pedrinho, Ricardo Cotrim (no longer a member of Semente) and other friends, got together for the first time. Back then, Teresa was selecting repertoire for a tribute show she intended to put together in honor of Brazilian music virtuoso Candeia, and handpicking the musicians. Bernardo, at the time a member of group Acorda Bamba, invited band mate Alexandre Bittencourt (who, in turn, invited other musician pals, including Pedrinho, João and Ricardo) to Teresa´s 30th birthday party. That was when the invitation was formalized and well accepted, prompting a routine of meetings between Teresa and the guys to rehearse Candeia´s repertoire, though, in the end, the show never made it to the stage. Still in that year, Teresa and the boys played together for the first time at a show celebrating the International Women´s Day at the Planetário da Gávea theatre. Their premiere on the pulsating night of Lapa, one of Rio de Janeiro´s musical cribs, took place right after this, when Teresa and the group were invited by a certain well known character "Seu Guaracy", of Portela Samba School, to launch the new night music program at local bar Semente, known as a health food place, up until then. It worked out so well that soon Teresa Cristina and Grupo Semente were being called the "rescuers of Lapa´s night life", that had been going down since the eighties. After becoming a hit band playing at Semente, Teresa and the guys went on to perform at other venues in Lapa, such as carioca da Gema and Centro Cultural Carioca, for an ever growing audience. Media recognition came with the release of the first album, a double tribute to Brazilian idol Paulinho da Viola´s 60th birthday, which won Teresa a couple of awards - "Prêmio Rival BR" and "Prêmio Tim"- as "Best New Artist", and a "Best Samba Album" nomination at the 2003 Latin Grammy´s. After that, many were the invitations that took Teresa and Semente all over Brasil and even to Japan, showing the world all the beauty of the good genuine Brazilian music. In 2004, Teresa, Bernardo, Pedrinho and João welcomed Mestre Trambique, coming to replace Ricardo Cotrim, who was leaving the band, and they went in the studio once again to record the band´s second album "A Vida Me Fez Assim" ("Life has Made Me This Way"), which featured Teresa´s premiere as a songwriter. They gathered an excess of overwhelming reviews, and sold-out theatres on which they performed. On that same year, the band hit the road with the "Projeto Pixininguinha" tour, performing at the main cities of the Northeast of Brazil. In 2005, they performed at the "Brazilian Year" Celebrations in Paris, while recording their fist live CD and DVD, suitably titled: "O Mundo é Meu Lugar" ("The World is My Place").

Viver
Teresa Cristina Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Lalaiá, laiá
Lalaiá, laiára
Eu digo, até posso afirmar
Vive melhor quem samba

Vou pela rua cantando
E o clarão da lua vem ornamentar
Sim, vou levando alegria
Pra Dona Tristeza alegre ficar
Abra a janela do peito e deixe o meu samba passar
Samba não tem preconceito e já vai te libertar
A liberdade dos prantos
E dos desencantos que a vida nos deu
A liberdade que canto
É amor, é esperança pra quem já sofreu
Cada qual que olhar para trás
Verá que sempre há uma razão de viver
Quem guerreia pela paz
A verdadeira paz nunca há de ter

Cantem todos como eu faço
Perdoem os fracassos, a vida é tão curta
Enquanto se luta, se samba também
Noite fria, enluarada, fim de madrugada




Feliz, vou cantando, cantando a alegria
Que o samba contém

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Teresa Cristina's song Viver refer to the healing and uplifting power of samba music. The opening lines Lalaiá, laiá; Lalaiá, laiára; Eu digo, até posso afirmar; Vive melhor quem samba loosely translate to "Sing, sing; I say, I can even assert, those who samba live better." The song goes on to describe how singing and dancing to samba brings joy and happiness, even to those who may be feeling sad or down. The lyrics encourage listeners to open up their hearts and let the samba music in, as it has no prejudice and can free one from the sorrows and disappointments of life. The song highlights the idea that everyone has a reason to live and find peace, and that the happiness found in samba music can be a powerful tool to bring people together.


Line by Line Meaning

Lalaiá, laiá
Repeating a lullaby to establish a rhythm


Lalaiá, laiára
Continuing the lullaby with added melody


Eu digo, até posso afirmar
Expressing a confident statement


Vive melhor quem samba
Claiming that a better life is attained through dancing


Vou pela rua cantando
Walking down the street while singing


E o clarão da lua vem ornamentar
Describing the moon adding beauty to the scene


Sim, vou levando alegria
Acknowledging the spreading of joy


Pra Dona Tristeza alegre ficar
Saying that even sadness can be happy when accompanied by joy


Abra a janela do peito e deixe o meu samba passar
Inviting the listener to open their heart to the music


Samba não tem preconceito e já vai te libertar
Stating that the samba dance has no judgment and can set the listener free


A liberdade dos prantos
Describing the freedom of tears that are shed


E dos desencantos que a vida nos deu
Talking about the disappointments that life has given us


A liberdade que canto
Singing of the freedom that comes with music


É amor, é esperança pra quem já sofreu
Saying that the music brings love and hope to those who have suffered


Cada qual que olhar para trás
Acknowledging that everyone has a past to look back on


Verá que sempre há uma razão de viver
Stating that there is always a reason to live


Quem guerreia pela paz
One who fights for peace


A verdadeira paz nunca há de ter
Realizing that true peace is hard to attain


Cantem todos como eu faço
Encouraging everyone to sing along


Perdoem os fracassos, a vida é tão curta
Asking to forgive failures and live life to the fullest


Enquanto se luta, se samba também
Saying that even during struggles, music can be enjoyed


Noite fria, enluarada, fim de madrugada
Describing the night with a cold breeze and a bright moon


Feliz, vou cantando, cantando a alegria
Expressing happiness while singing about joy


Que o samba contém
Talking about the joy that the samba dance holds




Contributed by Jordyn V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found

More Versions