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.
Samba Em Preludio
Vinícius de Moraes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nao tenho porque
Porque sem voce
Nao sei nem chorar
Sou chama sem luz
Jardim sem luar
Luar sem amor
Amor sem se dar
Eu sem voce
Sou so desamor
Um barco sem mar
Um campo sem flor
Tristeza que vai
Tristeza que vem
Sem voce, meu amor
Eu nao sou ninguem
Aqui, que saudade
Que vontade de ver
Renascer nossa vida
Volta querido
Teus meus bracos
Precisam dos teus
Teus abracos
Precisam dos teus
Estou tao sozinha
Tenho os olhos cansados
De olhar para o alem
Vem ver a vida
Sem voce, meu amor
Eu nao sou ninguem
Aqui, que saudade
Que vontade de ver
Renascer nossa vida
Volta querido
Teus meus bracos
Precisam dos teus
Teus abracos
Precisam dos teus
Estou tao sozinha
Tenho os olhos cansados
De olhar para o alem
Vem ver a vida
Sem voce, meu amor
Eu nao sou ninguem
Sem voce, meu amor
Eu nao sou ninguem
Sem voce, meu amor
Eu nao sou ninguem
Sem voce, meu amor
Eu nao sou ninguem
Vinicius de Moraes's song Samba Em Prelúdio is a heartbreaking tale of the pain and loneliness that comes with losing a loved one. The lyrics lament the singer's emptiness after the loss, stating that without the person they love, they can't even cry. The comparison of the singer's life without their lover to a flame without light, a garden without moonlight, and love without giving sets the tone of desolation and despair.
The singer becomes an embodiment of sadness and suffering without their loved one, a boat without a sea and a field without flowers. The sense of longing and nostalgia is palpable in the lines, "Here, I miss it, I want to see, our life reborn, come back, my dear, my arms need you, your hugs need you." The song captures the raw, vulnerable emotions of loss and paints a vivid picture of the emptiness that comes with it.
The singer yearns for their lover's return even as they acknowledge the pain and fatigue of waiting, "I'm so lonely, I have tired eyes, looking beyond, come see life, without you, my love, I am nobody." The song's emotional depth and sincerity make it a timeless classic, resonating with anyone who has experienced the pain and emptiness of losing someone.
Line by Line Meaning
Eu sem voce
Without you,
Nao tenho porque
I have no reason
Porque sem voce
Because without you
Nao sei nem chorar
I don't even know how to cry
Sou chama sem luz
I am a flame without light
Jardim sem luar
A garden without moonlight
Luar sem amor
Moonlight without love
Amor sem se dar
Love without giving
Eu sem voce
Without you
Sou so desamor
I am only lovelessness
Um barco sem mar
A boat without the sea
Um campo sem flor
A field without flowers
Tristeza que vai
Sadness that comes and goes
Tristeza que vem
Sadness that comes
Sem voce, meu amor
Without you, my love
Eu nao sou ninguem
I am nobody
Aqui, que saudade
Here, missing you
Que vontade de ver
How I long to see
Renascer nossa vida
Reborn our life
Volta querido
Come back, my dear
Teus meus bracos
Your arms, my arms
Precisam dos teus
They need yours
Estou tao sozinha
I am so alone
Tenho os olhos cansados
I have tired eyes
De olhar para o alem
From looking into the distance
Vem ver a vida
Come see life
Sem voce, meu amor
Without you, my love
Eu nao sou ninguem
I am nobody
Sem voce, meu amor
Without you, my love
Eu nao sou ninguem
I am nobody
Sem voce, meu amor
Without you, my love
Eu nao sou ninguem
I am nobody
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Tratore
Written by: Baden Powell De Aquino, Vinicius De Moraes, Marcus Vinicius Da Cruz De M. Moraes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind