Apesar de você by Chico Buarque Lyrics Meaning – Unveiling the Protest Behind the Poetry
Lyrics
Amanhã vai ser outro dia
Amanhã vai ser outro dia
Hoje você é quem manda
Falou, ‘tá falado
Não tem discussão, não
A minha gente hoje anda falando de lado
E olhando pro chão, viu
Você que inventou esse estado
E inventou de inventar
Toda a escuridão
Você que inventou o pecado
Esqueceu-se de inventar
O perdão
Apesar de você
Amanhã há de ser outro dia
Eu pergunto a você onde vai se esconder
Da enorme euforia
Como vai proibir
Quando o galo insistir
Em cantar
Água nova brotando
E a gente se amando sem parar
Quando chegar o momento, esse meu sofrimento
Vou cobrar com juros, juro
Todo esse amor reprimido, esse grito contido
Este samba no escuro
Você que inventou a tristeza
Ora, tenha a fineza de desinventar
Você vai pagar e é dobrado
Cada lágrima rolada nesse meu penar
Apesar de você
Amanhã há de ser outro dia
‘Inda pago pra ver (lá-lá-iá, lá-lá-iá)
O jardim florescer (lá-lá-iá, lá-lá-iá)
Qual você não queria (lá-lá-iá, lá-lá-iá)
Você vai se amargar (lá-lá-iá, lá-lá-iá)
Vendo o dia raiar (lá-lá-iá, lá-lá-iá)
Sem lhe pedir licença (lá-lá-iá-lá)
E eu vou morrer de rir (lá-lá-iá, lá-lá-iá)
Que esse dia há de vir (lá-lá-iá, lá-lá-iá)
Antes do que você pensa (lá-lá-iá-lá)
Apesar de você
Apesar de você
Amanhã há de ser outro dia
Você vai ter que ver (lá-lá-iá, lá-lá-iá)
A manhã renascer (lá-lá-iá, lá-lá-iá)
E esbanjar poesia (lá-lá-iá, lá-lá-iá-lá)
Como vai se explicar (lá-lá-iá, lá-lá-iá)
Vendo o céu clarear (lá-lá-iá, lá-lá-iá)
De repente, impunemente (lá-lá-iá, lá-lá-iá)
Como vai abafar (lá-lá-iá, lá-lá-iá)
Nosso coro a cantar (lá-lá-iá, lá-lá-iá)
Na sua frente (lá-lá-iá, lá-lá-iá)
Apesar de você
Apesar de você
Amanhã há de ser outro dia
Você vai se dar mal (lá-lá-iá, lá-lá-iá)
Etcetera e tal
Lá-lá-iá, lá-lá-iá (lá-lá-iá, lá-lá-iá)
Lá-lá-iá, lá-lá-iá (lá-lá-iá, lá-lá-iá)
Lá-lá-iá, lá-lá-iá (lá-lá-iá, lá-lá-iá)
Lá-lá-iá-lá (lá-lá-iá-lá)
Lá-lá-iá, lá-lá-iá (lá-lá-iá, lá-lá-iá)
Lá-lá-iá-lá (lá-lá-iá-lá) apesar de você
Apesar de você
Amanhã há de ser
On the surface, Chico Buarque’s song ‘Apesar de você’ resonates with the rhythmic heartbeat of Brazil’s samba tradition, a melody that dances carefree under the tropical sun. It’s a tune loaded with the ironies of a tender lullaby that lulls not a child to sleep, but a regime into a false sense of security.
But to truly appreciate the colors of Buarque’s masterpiece is to witness the canvas of political dissent painted boldly beneath its harmonies. Released in 1970 during Brazil’s military dictatorship, ‘Apesar de você’ defies the crushing silence forced upon the nation, narrating a future where suppression and sorrow give way to a joyous sunrise.
A Heartbeat of Resistance Disguised in Melody
Buarque’s song is a clandestine whisper of rebellion masquerading as a popular love song. The soft crooning of the words melds into a delicate fabric that masks a fierce indictment of censorship and brutality. This duplicity was the songwriter’s gambit to evade the ruthless censorship that muzzled Brazil’s artists, intellectuals, and dissidents alike.
Music, in Buarque’s deft hands, ceases to be merely a form of entertainment. It becomes a vessel of revolution, carrying the subversive undercurrents that would stir the soul of a nation. To sing ‘Apesar de você’ afforded the everyday Brazilian a vent for bottled frustrations, a shared anthem for a silent collective.
The Personification of Tyranny and The Light of Tomorrow
The ‘you’ in ‘Apesar de você’ is commonly interpreted as an embodiment of the oppressive military regime that held Brazil in its grip. Buarque’s poetry cleverly skirts mentioning names or direct references, allowing the song to pass initial censorship. Yet, it directly addresses the oppressor with an unshakeable confidence in the coming of a new day.
The constant reminder that ‘Amanhã vai ser outro dia’ (Tomorrow will be another day) is a chorus not only of hope but a promise of reckoning. Buarque poses a challenge to the faceless ‘you’, questioning the permanence of their power and foreshadowing their inevitable fall, building a profound narrative of resilience rooted in the passage of time and the certainties of change.
Samba in the Dark – The Song’s Hidden Anti-Dictatorship Beat
While the upbeat samba rhythm invites joy, the term ‘esse samba no escuro’ (this samba in the dark) suggests a congregation in the shadows, a metaphor for Brazil’s repressed culture. In Buarque’s vision, the dance does not stop; instead, it continues out of the spotlight, eluding the dictator’s gaze and biding its time.
This ‘samba in the dark’ sneaks past the oppressor’s ears, thriving in the hidden corners of Brazilian society. By using the beloved samba—an intrinsic expression of Brazilian identity—Buarque ensures the song’s widespread acceptance, turning each performance into a veiled defiance of autocratic rule.
Decoding the Cryptic Optimism – Memorable Lines of Subversion
Each line in ‘Apesar de você’ carries a weight heavier than its superficial interpretation. ‘Você vai ter que ver / A manhã renascer / E esbanjar poesia’ (You’ll have to see / The morning be reborn / And lavish in poetry) speaks of a world beyond dictatorial control, where art and freedom are as inevitable as the dawn.
The evocative imagery of rebirth and creativity, hidden beneath a seemingly romantic context, reveals Buarque’s true intent—a rallying cry for a future drenched in the vibrant colors of liberty. It was these lines that resonated in the hearts of listeners, affirming with poetic finesse that the darkness imposed upon them was transient.
The Euphoria of the Inevitable – An Anthem for Change
There is an untamed joy in Buarque’s declaration that there will be ‘enorme euforia’ (enormous euphoria) when the authoritarian rule meets its end. ‘Apesar de você’ transcends a mere oppositional slogan; it transforms into a celebration of the human spirit’s unyielding capacity for hope.
Buarque’s song thus becomes not just a critique, but an instrument of psychological liberation, a piece of art that convinces its listeners of the sweet taste of freedom that lies just beyond the horizon. He captures the essence of the time—the belief in the eventual triumph of democracy over tyranny.
