From a musical family, Vinicius began writing poetry early in life. At the age of 14, he became friends with the brothers Paulo and Haroldo Tapajós and, with the latter, composed "Loura ou Morena", his first song. In 1929, Vinicius enrolled in law school in Rio de Janeiro. Then, starting in 1932, he wrote lyrics for ten songs that were recorded by the Tapajós brothers. Upon completing his studies, he published his first two collections of poetry Caminho Para a Distância (1933) and Forma e Exegese. Later, in 1935, he became a cinema censor for the Ministry of Health and Education. During this time, he wrote his third book Ariana, a Mulher (1936).
Vinicius then headed to England (1938) with an English government scholarship to study literature at Oxford University and while there he wrote Novos Poemas. At that time he was married by proxy. In 1941, during World War II, Vinicius returned to Rio and began to write film reviews and other pieces for newspapers and magazines. Two years later, he joined Brazil's diplomatic service and released his book Cinco Elegias. In 1946, he was sent to Los Angeles as vice-consul on his first diplomatic assignment and released Poemas, Sonetos e Baladas.
In 1950 Vinicius returned to Brazil upon his father's death. His first samba (composed with musician Antônio Maria), was Quando Tu Passas por Mim, released in 1953, which was the same year in which he moved to France as second secretary to Brazil's embassy.
The next year he wrote lyrics for some of Cláudio Santoro's chamber music pieces and also staged his play Orfeu da Conceição, which was later adapted to cinema as Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro, Marcel Camus, 1959. The play won the IV São Paulo Centennial Contest in 1954. During production he was introduced to a relatively unknown pianist, Antônio Carlos Jobim, who was commissioned to write the music for the play. Jobim composed the music for Se Todos Fossem Iguais a Você, Um Nome de Mulher, and several other songs included in the production.
Following a return to his diplomatic duties in France and Uruguay, Vinicius released his books Livro de Sonetos and Novos Poemas II.
In 1958, the singer Elizeth Cardoso released her album Canção do Amor Demais, marking the beginning of bossa nova. This record consists wholly of compositions by the either Jobim or Vinicius, or both. The recording also featured a relatively unknown João Gilberto on two tracks. With the release of this record Vinicius's--and his collaborators--can be said to have truly begun.
The songs of Jobim and Vinicius were recorded by numerous Brazilian singers and performers of that time. Renditions of many Jobim-Vinicius numbers on João Gilberto's first three albums would firmly establish the sound and the core repertory of the bossa nova and would influence a new generation of singers and songwriters, especially in Rio de Janeiro. Among these songs are all time hits such as Garota de Ipanema, Insensatez and Chega de Saudade.
Meanwhile, Black Orpheus won an Academy Award for best foreign film in 1960, and also was awarded with the Palme d'Or at the Cannes International Film Festival, and the 1960 British Academy Award.
Vinicius' songs Para uma Menina com uma Flor and Samba da Bênção (music by Baden Powell) were included on the soundtrack of A Man and a Woman (Un Homme et une Femme, Claude Lelouch, 1966), another Cannes film festival winner.
In the '60s and '70s, Vinicius continued collaborating with many renowned Brazilian singers and musicians, particularly Baden Powell, with whom he penned a series of songs with a heavy Afro-Brazilian influence and which came to be known collectively as the Afro-Sambas. His last steady music partner was Antonio Pecci Filho, better known as Toquinho. With Toquinho he released a series of very popular and influential albums.
Hundreds of international performers have recorded more than 400 of Vinicius' songs.
Vinicius de Moraes died in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 9, 1980 at the age of 66. He is buried in Rio's São João Batista Cemetery.
Pra Que Chorar
Vinícius de Moraes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Estou a lembrar-me, vinicius
Naquele samba em que falas
De cada novo amanhecer
Um saba chamado "P'ra quê chorar, não é?"
Mas a história deste Samba é curiosa
Eu quero contar ao David porque
Ele vai apreciar particularmente isso
Chamada clínica de S vicente
Onde eu todo o ano me interno
Para me desintoxicar e tal
P'ra botar o figado em ordem
E aí de madrugada o
Pau a música dele
Começo a trabalhar no samba né
Seria quê umas 2 3 horas da manhã
E aí eu tava trabalhando fazendo o samba né
Ai começo a escutar um chorinho
Sabe um chorinho
Parecia um choro de velhinha sabe
Aquele choro manso, sabe
Então eu saí do meu quarto
Fui ao quarto ao lado
E estava uma porta entreaberta
E estava um velhinho morrendo sabe?
Mas uma sabe? O velhinho devia ter 80 anos
E uma pessoa velinha de volta a
Ver as suas irmãs talvez
Aquela morte humilde né? tranquila
Aí eu voltei para o meu quarto
E entrei naquela fossa
Não vou fazer o meu samba né
Respeitar a morte desse velhinho, né?
Mas o samba era mais forte que
A morte que o velhinho, compreende?
Hu mau é, aí eu escrevi o samba todo
Então aconteceu uma coincidência
Maravilhosa né é que quando acabei o
Samba o velhinho morreu, né?
Pararam aqueles chorinhos, sabe?
Aqueles choros daquelas velhinhas
E ao sair do meu quarto fui lá
O velhinho tinha morrido
Estavam aquelas velhinhas todas ajoelhadas
Aí me deu uma especie de uma paz assim
Compreende? Parecia-
Ainda que não fui eu
Parecia que cada um tinha feito o seu dever
Sabe mas foi uma coisa muito linda
Principalmente para o velhinho
O velhinho tranquilizou, né?
Então vamos ouvir agora o samba?
E o samba diz o contrário exatamente de tudo
É um samba afirmativo, né? Ah é
Pra quê chorar se o sol já vai raiar
Se o dia vai amanhecer pra que sofrer
Se a lua vai nascer é só o sol se pôr
Pra que chorar se existe amor
A questão é só de dar a questão é só de dor
Quem não chorou quem não se lastimou
Não pode nunca mais dizer pra que chorar
Pra que sofrer se há sempre um novo amor
Em cada amanhecer cada novo amanhecer
Cada novo amanhecer
The song "Pra Que Chorar" by Vinicius de Moraes reflects on the impermanence of life and the power of love to bring hope and healing. The lyrics depict a personal experience of the songwriter in which he witnesses a poignant scene while recovering in a clinic. In the late hours of the night, as he is working on a samba, he hears a melancholic melody, reminiscent of an elderly person's quiet weeping. Curiosity leads him to a partially opened door, where he finds an old man on the verge of passing away, surrounded by his sisters. This humbling moment deeply affects the singer, prompting him to change the direction of his samba. Despite the presence of death, the power of the samba and the endurance of love prevail. The coincidence that the old man dies as the song is completed adds a layer of profound meaning to the narrative. The song offers an affirmative message, highlighting the cyclical nature of life, the inevitability of suffering, and the potential for new beginnings with every dawn.
The chorus poses the question: "Why cry if the sun is about to rise? If the day will break, why suffer? If the moon will appear, it's only when the sun sets. Why cry if there is love?" These lyrics encourage the listener to reconsider their tendency to dwell on sadness and instead embrace the beauty of life and the transformative power of love. The song suggests that crying and suffering are natural parts of the human experience and are even necessary. The verses acknowledge that those who have never cried or lamented can never truly understand the purpose of tears. The refrain acknowledges that each new dawn brings the possibility of a fresh start and renewed love, emphasizing the potential for growth and healing in every new day.
Overall, "Pra Que Chorar" is a song that captures a transformative moment in the songwriter's life and explores themes of mortality, love, and resilience. Through the personal story of encountering the old man's imminent death, the lyrics invite reflection on the fleeting nature of existence and the enduring power of love to heal, comfort, and bring hope. The song serves as a reminder to embrace the beauty of life, even amidst pain and loss, and to find solace in the cycles of nature and the ever-present possibility of new beginnings.
Line by Line Meaning
E a noite está quase no fim e o amanhecer
The night is almost over and the dawn is coming
Estou a lembrar-me, vinicius
I am remembering, Vinicius
Naquele samba em que falas
In that samba where you speak
De cada novo amanhecer
About each new dawn
Um samba chamado 'P'ra quê chorar, não é?'
A samba called 'Why cry, isn't it?'
Mas a história deste Samba é curiosa
But the story of this Samba is curious
Eu quero contar ao David porque
I want to tell David because
Ele vai apreciar particularmente isso
He will particularly appreciate it
Eu estava numa clinica
I was in a clinic
Chamada clínica de S vicente
Called the S vicente clinic
Onde eu todo o ano me interno
Where I intern every year
Para me desintoxicar e tal
To detoxify and such
P'ra botar o figado em ordem
To put my liver in order
E aí de madrugada o
And then at dawn
Pau a música dele
His music starts playing
Começo a trabalhar no samba né
I start working on the samba, right
Seria quê umas 2 3 horas da manhã
It was maybe 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning
E aí eu tava trabalhando fazendo o samba né
So I was working on the samba, right
Ai começo a escutar um chorinho
And then I start hearing a little cry
Sabe um chorinho
You know, a little cry
Parecia um choro de velhinha sabe
It seemed like an old lady crying, you know
Aquele choro manso, sabe
That gentle cry, you know
Então eu saí do meu quarto
So I went out of my room
Fui ao quarto ao lado
I went to the next room
E estava uma porta entreaberta
And there was a slightly open door
E estava um velhinho morrendo sabe?
And there was an old man dying, you know?
Mas uma sabe? O velhinho devia ter 80 anos
But you know? The old man was probably 80 years old
E uma pessoa velinha de volta a
And an old person going back to
Ver as suas irmãs talvez
See his sisters maybe
Aquela morte humilde né? tranquila
That humble death, right? peaceful
Aí eu voltei para o meu quarto
So I went back to my room
E entrei naquela fossa
And I fell into despair
Não vou fazer o meu samba né
I'm not going to make my samba, right
Respeitar a morte desse velhinho, né?
Respect the death of that old man, right?
Mas o samba era mais forte que
But the samba was stronger than
A morte que o velhinho, compreende?
The death of the old man, understand?
Hu mau é, aí eu escrevi o samba todo
Wow, then I wrote the whole samba
Então aconteceu uma coincidência
Then a coincidence happened
Maravilhosa né é que quando acabei o
Wonderful, right, when I finished
Samba o velhinho morreu, né?
The old man died, right?
Pararam aqueles chorinhos, sabe?
Those little cries stopped, you know?
Aqueles choros daquelas velhinhas
Those cries from those old ladies
E ao sair do meu quarto fui lá
And when I left my room, I went there
O velhinho tinha morrido
The old man had died
Estavam aquelas velhinhas todas ajoelhadas
All those old ladies were kneeling
Aí me deu uma espécie de uma paz assim
Then I felt a kind of peace
Compreende? Parecia-
Understand? It seemed like-
Ainda que não fui eu
Even though it wasn't me
Parecia que cada um tinha feito o seu dever
It seemed like everyone had done their duty
Sabe mas foi uma coisa muito linda
You know, but it was a very beautiful thing
Principalmente para o velhinho
Especially for the old man
O velhinho tranquilizou, né?
The old man was at peace, right?
Então vamos ouvir agora o samba?
So let's listen to the samba now?
E o samba diz o contrário exatamente de tudo
And the samba says the exact opposite of everything
É um samba afirmativo, né? Ah é
It's an affirmative samba, right? Yes it is
Pra quê chorar se o sol já vai raiar
Why cry if the sun is already going to rise
Se o dia vai amanhecer pra que sofrer
If the day is going to dawn, why suffer
Se a lua vai nascer é só o sol se pôr
If the moon is going to rise, it's just the sun setting
Pra que chorar se existe amor
Why cry if there is love
A questão é só de dar a questão é só de dor
The issue is just about giving, the issue is just about pain
Quem não chorou quem não se lastimou
Whoever didn't cry, whoever didn't lament
Não pode nunca mais dizer pra que chorar
Can never again say why cry
Pra que sofrer se há sempre um novo amor
Why suffer if there is always a new love
Em cada amanhecer cada novo amanhecer
In each dawn, each new dawn
Cada novo amanhecer
Each new dawn
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Júlio Silva
Pra que chorar
Se o sol já vai raiar
E o dia vai amanhecer
Pra que sofrer
Se a lua vai nascer
E e só o sol se pôr
Pra que chorar
Se existe amor
A questão é só de dar
A questão é só de dor, de dor
Quem não chorou
Quem não se lastimou
Não pode nunca mais dizer
Pra que chorar, pra que sofrer
Se há sempre um novo amor
Cada novo amanhecer
Pra que chorar
Júlio Silva
Pra que chorar
Se o sol já vai raiar
E o dia vai amanhecer
Pra que sofrer
Se a lua vai nascer
E e só o sol se pôr
Pra que chorar
Se existe amor
A questão é só de dar
A questão é só de dor, de dor
Quem não chorou
Quem não se lastimou
Não pode nunca mais dizer
Pra que chorar, pra que sofrer
Se há sempre um novo amor
Cada novo amanhecer
Pra que chorar
Flávio Bello
Vinicius de Moraes um Gênio fora de qualquer tempo.Único de grandeza e humildade.Sua Obra é Imortal.
Martins
Cara eu não entendo eu tenho 12 anos e chorei nessa música veio um sentimento de saudades dá até impressão que eu já vivi essa época
Maria Luisa Souto Maior
Os Cariocas e o extraordinário charme da Musica Popular Brasileira!
ALCINDO NETO
Música de qualidade é outra história
Augusto Costa
Música linda com linda melodia e muito bem interpretada pelo conjunto OS CARIOCAS. Escutava muito esta música na abertura da Rádio Estadual do Paraná às 06:00.
Virginia Abreu de Paula
Os Cariocas. Meus preferidos na Bossa Nova. E eles cantando Pra que Chorar é de...chorar de emoção.
Claudia Lima
Emocionante !!
Rafael Giovane
sensacional
Alain Paul
Inimitable!