In the early 90's, the effervescent musical scene of Bahia generated a new … Read Full Bio ↴In the early 90's, the effervescent musical scene of Bahia generated a new phenomenon: Timbalada - a huge group of percussionist with tribal paintings on their bodies and a female singer that performed topless. they all played timbaus, a tall drum that hangs from the shoulder of the percussionist and is held between the legs.

A product of the brilliant imagination of singer, songwriter and virtuoso percussionist Carlinhos Brown, Timbalada does justice to Bahia's rhythmic tradition and, at the same time, introduces modernity and boldness to it. The main singer's hoarse voice, the non-sense of the lyrics, the tribal painting an the collective use of sunglasses helped to place Timbalada among the most original and ceative bands to appear in the last years.

Timbalada is an Afro-Brazilian musician group from Candeal, Salvador, Brazil. It was founded by drummer Carlinhos Brown. The musical style is between samba reggae and axé, with strong influences from African music. They are a highly popular group that regularly plays sold-out shows throughout Brazil.

The group is mostly known for its active participation to the carnival each year in the streets of Salvador de Bahia. It also engages in social activism by working with needy children, providing education and drum courses to help them in social integration.

Musically, Timbalada is credited with two major innovations in the instrumentation of Afro-Brazilian music: the revival of the timbal (a tall, high-pitched hand drum), and the development of a rack of 3 surdos (bass drums) that can be played by a single player. The timbal, which had been nearly extinct before Timbalada began featuring it, has since become widespread in many Afro-Brazilian genres, including axé and samba-reggae. The rack of surdos, also called a bateria-de-surdo (surdo drumset) is now widely used by many groups for stage performances when not parading. Because the bateria-de-surdo can only hold 3 surdos within arm's reach of a single player, the traditional 4-surdo arrangements of many samba-reggae rhythms is often trimmed down to a 3-surdo arrangement

Sorriso Livro
Timbalada Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ai
No cry
No cry
No cry

Hoje eu sei porque
A vida é um edifício indo sem você
Sem teu sorriso-livro

Vidro de se ver
O desabar do céu

Não é nada disso
O vidro aqui sou eu
Te amando sem pudor
Quebrando sobre o vento
Jungle, Beija-Flor
Voando ao seu redor

Help
Mas não me olhe assim tão cry
Mas não me olhe assim tão tchau
Mas não me olhe assim tão réu
Girl, girl, girl

Eu
Sozinho na solidão de Deus
Caminhe aqui ao lado meu
Mas não me olhe assim tão cry
Help, help, help

Eu
Sozinho na solidão de Deus
Caminhe aqui ao lado meu
Mas não me olhe assim tão cry
Ai, ah, ah, ah, ah, ai

Ai
No cry
No cry
No cry

Ai
No cry
No cry
No cry

Não é nada disso
O vidro aqui sou eu
Te amando sem pudor
Quebrando sobre o vento
Jungle, Beija-Flor
Voando ao seu redor

Eu
Mas não me olhe assim tão cry
Mas não me olhe assim tão tchau
Mas não me olhe assim tão eu, girl, girl, eu
Mas não me olhe assim tão cry
Mas não me olhe assim tão tchau
Mas não me olhe assim tão eu, girl, girl, eu

Ai
No cry
No cry
No cry

Ai
No cry
No cry
No cry

Ai
No cry
No cry
No cry

Ai
No cry

No cry
No cry

Overall Meaning

The song "Sorriso Livro" by Timbalada is a reflective and emotional piece that addresses the pain of losing someone special and the realization of how much they meant. The chorus, "No cry, no cry, no cry," seems to be a reminder to not let the sadness consume the singer. The opening lines, "Today I know why life is a building going without you," begin the theme of emptiness and feeling lost without the person who has left.

The lyrics "Without your smile-book, a glass to be seen, the falling of the sky," describe the absence of the person's happy and uplifting presence, comparing it to a book full of smiles that they carry with them. The singer feels like they are the glass that has shattered and is now missing a vital part of themselves. The lyrics "But it's not like that, the glass here is me, loving you shamelessly, breaking on the wind, Jungle, Beija-Flor, flying around you" reveal that the singer, originally thought they were the victim in the situation, but now realizes that they are the one in love without any regard for themselves, and it makes them feel like they have broken into pieces.

The repetition of "help, help, help" towards the end of the song indicates desperation and a loneliness that is palpable. The final lines, "But don't look at me so much like cry, like goodbye, like I did something wrong," show that the singer is now feeling like a prisoner of their own love, but still craves the company of their loved one.

Line by Line Meaning

Ai
An exclamation of emotion, in this case, possibly representing sadness or frustration

No cry
Do not cry or be sad

Hoje eu sei porque
Today I know why

A vida é um edifício indo sem você
Life is a building moving on without you

Sem teu sorriso-livro
Without your book-like smile

Vidro de se ver
A glass to be seen

O desabar do céu
The collapse of the sky

Não é nada disso
It's not like that

O vidro aqui sou eu
I'm the glass here

Te amando sem pudor
Loving you without shame

Quebrando sobre o vento
Breaking over the wind

Jungle, Beija-Flor
Jungle, hummingbird

Voando ao seu redor
Flying around you

Help
Asking for assistance or aid

Mas não me olhe assim tão cry
But do not look at me so sadly

Mas não me olhe assim tão tchau
But do not look at me like goodbye

Mas não me olhe assim tão réu
But do not look at me like a culprit

Girl, girl, girl
Addressing a female person

Eu
Me

Sozinho na solidão de Deus
Alone in the loneliness of God

Caminhe aqui ao lado meu
Walk beside me

Ai, ah, ah, ah, ah, ai
An exclamation of emotion, in this case, possibly representing a feeling of helplessness

Não é nada disso
It's not like that

O vidro aqui sou eu
I'm the glass here

Te amando sem pudor
Loving you without shame

Quebrando sobre o vento
Breaking over the wind

Jungle, Beija-Flor
Jungle, hummingbird

Voando ao seu redor
Flying around you

Mas não me olhe assim tão cry
But do not look at me so sadly

Mas não me olhe assim tão tchau
But do not look at me like goodbye

Mas não me olhe assim tão eu, girl, girl, eu
But do not look at me like I'm the one at fault, girl, girl, me

No cry
Do not cry or be sad

Ai
An exclamation of emotion, in this case, possibly representing sadness or frustration

No cry
Do not cry or be sad

Ai
An exclamation of emotion, in this case, possibly representing sadness or frustration

No cry
Do not cry or be sad

Ai
An exclamation of emotion, in this case, possibly representing sadness or frustration

Writer(s): Jose Edmundo Da Silva Almeida, Antonio Carlos Santos De Freitas, Adenilson Brito Silva

Contributed by Jason W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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