18 best old Carnival marches: lyrics, history and curiosities

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When Carnival approaches, it's time to remember the good old marchinhas - the Carnival songs that never go out of style. Some of them were written over 100 years ago! Even so, they continue to be sung by the new generations with the same freshness as before. And then? Let's skip Carnival?

1. Ô Abre Alas - Chiquinha Gonzaga

Marchinhas 2013 16 Opens wings

The ranch march "Ô Abre Alas", composed in 1899 by Chiquinha Gonzaga, is considered the first Carnival march in history. Written to be the carnival anthem of the Cordon Rosa de Ouro, in the neighborhood of Andaraí, in Rio de Janeiro, it ended up becoming the anthem par excellence of the Brazilian Carnival of all times.

oh open wings
that I want to pass
oh open wings
that I want to pass

I'm from Lira
I can not deny
I'm from Lira
I can not deny

rose of gold
is who will win
rose of gold
is who will win

2. Mamãe Eu Quero - Vicente Paiva and Jararaca

Mom I want - Carmem Miranda (Carnaval)

Enormous carnival phenomenon, "Mamãe Eu Quero", composed in 1937, toured the world in the voice of Carmen Miranda. In a ranking created by Veja magazine in 2011, it appears in 2nd place among the greatest marchinhas of all time.

Mommy I want Mommy I want
Mom I want to suck
Give the pacifier, give the pacifier
Give the baby a pacifier so he doesn't cry

Sleep, little child of my heart
Take the bottle and enter the cord
I have a sister called Ana
Blinking the eye already lost the eyelash

I look at the little ones, but that way
I'm really sorry I'm not a suckling child
I have a sister who is phenomenal
She is bossa and her husband is a boçal

3. Aurora - Mario Lake and Roberto Roberti

Aurora, carnival song by Mário Lago and Roberto Roberti (1940)

Written during the 1940 Carnival, Aurora soon became one of the most sung marchinhas by revelers in blocks and halls throughout Brazil. Mário Lago used to joke that there were three women in his life: his wife, "Amélia" (the title of another song he wrote) and "Aurora".

if you were honest
Ô ô ô ô Aurora
See how good it was
Ô ô ô ô Aurora

a beautiful apartment
With doorman and elevator
and air cooled
for hot days
madame before name
would you now
Ô ô ô ô Aurora

4. Allah-Lá-Ô - Haroldo Lobo and Nássara

Allah la ô....... carnival march........ Carlos Galhardo

February. Sun at pine Crowd. Who has never felt like crossing the Sahara desert in the middle of a Carnival block? Of course, the "sacrifice" is compensated by joy, music and, if the prayer is brave, by that soul-washing summer rain.

Allah-lá-ô, ô ô ô ô ô ô
More than heat ô ô ô ô ô

We crossed the Sahara desert
the sun was hot
It burned our face

We came from Egypt
and many times
we had to pray
Allah! Allah! Allah, my good Allah!
Send water to yoyo
Send water to iaiá
Allah! My good Allah!

5. Balancê - João de Barro and Alberto Ribeiro

GAL COSTA - Balance

João de Barro or simply Braguinha was one of the greatest composers of sambas and marchinhas in the history of MPB. His hits include "Yes, We Have Banana", "Touradas em Madrid", "Pirata da Perna de Pau" and "Chiquita Bacana". "Balancê", a partnership with Alberto Ribeiro, exploded in the 80s in the voice of Gal Costa and is still a necessary presence at any Carnival dance.

Balance, balance
I want to dance with you
Get in the circle, brunette, to see
Balance, balance

When you pass by me
Pretending you don't see me
My heart almost breaks
No balance, balance

you were my primer
You were my ABC
And that's why I'm the greatest wonder
No balance, balance

I spend my life thinking
thinking only of you
And time passes and I'm running out
No balance, balance

6. Give Me Money There - Homero Ferreira, Glauco Ferreira and Ivan Ferreira

1959 - Moacir Franco - Give Me Money Oh

An absolute hit at the 1960 Carnival, "Me Dá Um Dinheiro Aí", recorded in 1959 by Moacyr Franco, is still one of the most beloved marches by revelers across the country. In the ranking prepared by Veja magazine in 2011, it appears as the 6th best Carnival song of all time.

Hey, you there
Give me some money
Give me some money!

Won't you?
Won't you give it?
You will see the big mess
What am I going to do drinking until I drop
Give it to me, give it to me, give it to me, hi!
Give me some money!

7. The Gardener - Humberto Porto and Benedito Lacerda

The gardener...... carnival march ......... Orlando Silva

One of the most beautiful carnival songs of all times rocked the revelry in 1939 in the voice of none other than Orlando Silva, "O Cantor das Multidões". Although the music was signed by Porto and Lacerda, it is believed that "A Jardineira" appeared much earlier, at the end of the XNUMXth century. What the two would have done was adapt it for marching music.

Oh, gardener, why are you so sad?
But what happened to you?
It was the camellia that fell from the branch
It took two sighs and then it died
It was the camellia that fell from the branch
It took two sighs and then it died

Come on, gardener! Come my love!
Don't be sad that this whole world is yours
You are much prettier
That the camellia that died

8. Cachaça - Marinósio Filho, Lúcio de Castro, Heber Lobato and Mirabeau Pinheiro

Cachaça is not water - Marchinha de Carnaval

"Cachaça" ("If you think cachaça is water") was recorded for the first time in 1946. Since then, there hasn't been a Carnival block that doesn't play it at least once during the parade. After all, cachaça and Carnaval are old friends.

Do you think cachaça is water?
Cachaça is not water
Cachaça comes from the still
And water comes from the stream

I can miss everything in life
Rice, beans and bread
I may lack butter
And everything else is not needed

I may miss love
(I even find this funny)
I just don't want you to miss me
The damn cachaça

9. Corkscrew - Zé da Zilda, Zilda do Zé and Waldir Machado

Zé da Zilda and Zilda do Zé - CORPLER - Zé da Zilda-Zilda do Zé-Waldir Machado

Another ode to the national drink, "Saca-Rolha" was recorded in 1954 by the duo Zé da Zilda and Zilda do Zé, becoming one of the great hits of that year's Carnival. It is the 5th best march of all time according to Veja magazine ranking.

The waters will roll
Full bottle I don't want to see left
I put my hand on the bag, bag, corkscrew
And I drink until I drown
let the waters roll

The waters will roll
Full bottle I don't want to see left
I put my hand on the bag, bag, corkscrew
And I drink until I drown

If the police arrest me for this
But at the last minute let me go
I get the corkscrew, corkscrew, corkscrew
Nobody catches me, nobody catches me

10. Chiquita Bacana - Alberto Ribeiro and João de Barro

Chiquita cool....... carnival march...... Emilinha Borba

This 1948 march immortalized one of the most carnival-like characters in all of MPB: Chiquita Bacana, the one who "only does what her heart tells her". We cannot forget the reference made by Caetano Veloso in the 1977 album Meus Carnavais, when he versed about Chiquita Bacana's daughter.

Chiquita Bacana from Martinique
dress up with a
small banana peel

Does not wear a dress, does not wear shorts
Winter for her is midsummer
Existentialist (with good reason!)
Just do what your heart tells you

11. Black Mask - Zé Keti and Pereira Matos

Dalva de Oliveira - Black Mask (ZÉ KETI) 1966

Ah, the Carnivals of the past!... This 1967 march-rancho is a true chronicle of the revelry of other times. The times of strings and masked balls. Rare jewel of MPB in the voice of one of the greatest singers in our history: Dalva de Oliveira, the "Queen of the Voice".

How much laughter, oh, how much happiness!
Over a thousand clowns in the hall
Harlequin is crying
For the love of Columbine
In the middle of the crowd

It was good to see you again
It's been a year
It was at Carnival that passed
I am that Pierrot
Who hugged and kissed you, my love

In the same black mask
that hides your face
I want to kill the longing
I will kiss you now
Do not get me wrong
Today is Carnival

I will kiss you now
Do not get me wrong
Today is Carnival

12. Ta-Hí (For You to Like Me) - Joubert de Carvalho

Carmen Miranda - For You To Like Me (Ta-hi)

This marquee has a lot of history. It was with her that Carmen Miranda launched herself to stardom, becoming the main Brazilian singer of the time and one of the greatest of all time. The disc was an absolute success in 1930, breaking sales records across the country.

There, I did everything for you to like me
Hey, honey, don't do that to me
You have, you have to give me your heart

My love, I can't forget
If it gives joy, it also makes it suffer
My life has always been like this
Just crying the sorrows that have no end

This story of liking someone
It's already a craze that people have
If Our Lord Helped Me
I wouldn't think about love anymore

13. White Flag - Max Nunes and Laércio Alves

Dalva de Oliveira - White Flag

"Bandeira Branca" is that classic that can't be missing at Carnival. Recorded in 1970 by Dalva de Oliveira, the marchinha talks about saudade, a feeling capable of making us forget all our disagreements and raise the white flag. By the way, Carnival is a good time for that, isn't it?

white flag love
I can not anymore
for the longing
that invades me
I ask for peace

Bad longing for love, for love
Missing pain that hurts too much
Come my love
White flag
I ask for peace

14. Turma do Funil - Mirabeau Pinheiro, Milton de Oliveira and Urgel de Castro

Carnival marches - Turma Do Funil

This "alcoholic" marchinha, composed in 1956, is one of the favorites of revelers. In the ranking of Veja magazine, it appears as the best marchinha of all time, surpassing classics such as "Ô Abre Alas" and "Mamãe Eu Quero". But "Turma do Funil" is also a great classic. Proof of this is the re-recording made in 1980 by maestro Tom Jobim, accompanied by Miúcha and Chico Buarque.

The funnel gang has arrived
Everyone drinks, but no one sleeps on the dot
Oh, oh, nobody sleeps on the bus stop
We drink and they get dizzy

I drink without commitment
It's my money, nobody has anything to do with it
Wherever there is a bottle, wherever there is a barrel
Present is the funnel gang

15. Bullfighting in Madrid - João de Barro and Alberto Ribeiro

1959 - Trio Irakitan - Touradas em Madri (Carnival March of 1938)

Another very popular march by João de Barro and Alberto Ribeiro. It is said that on July 13, 1950, during the World Cup held in Brazil, more than 150 voices sang this song in Maracanã during the Brazilian rout over the Spaniards.

I went to bullfights in Madrid
And I almost never come back here
To see Peri kiss Ceci.
I met a Spanish woman from Catalonia
I wanted to play the castanets
And take the bull by the nail.
Damn it! Snails! I'm from samba, don't bother me
I'm going to run away to Brazil!
This is soft talk for the ox to sleep!

16. Marcha da Cueca - Livardo Alves, Carlos Mendes and Sardinha

underwear march

Marchinhas tend to be good-natured. In this regard, the "Marcha da Cueca" is perhaps unsurpassed. The short, simple letter makes it easy to memorize. It's hard to find a Brazilian who doesn't at least know this chorus by heart!

I kill, I kill
Who stole my underwear
To make a dish towel

My underwear
It was washed
It was a gift
that I got from my girlfriend

17. Corintiano Transplant (Corinthian Heart) - Manoel Ferreira, Ruth Amaral and Gentil Júnior

Corinthiano Transplant - Carnival march (Doctor, I'm not mistaken)

Corinthian has a reputation for being a sufferer. And it is not for nothing. This story began during the lack of titles that the São Paulo club experienced between 1954 and 1977. The suffering was so great that it gave rise to the famous marchinha "Transplante de Corintiano", which rocked in the 1969 Carnival in the voice of Silvio Santos.

Doctor, I'm not mistaken
My heart is Corinthian

Doctor, I'm not mistaken
My heart is Corinthian

I didn't know what else to do
I changed the heart tired of suffering!

Oh! Doctor, I'm not mistaken
They put another Corinthian heart!

18. The Time is Coming - Henricão and Rubens Campos

The Time is Coming - Carmen Costa (1942 Carnival)

To close, "Está Chegando a Hora" could not be missing, the beautiful samba that usually closes the works in the more traditional blocks. It is a 1941 adaptation of the famous Mexican waltz "Cielito Lindo" by A. Sedos and F. Tudela.

Who leaves misses someone
Who is crying in pain
That's why I don't want to remember
When my great love left

Ai, ai, ai ai, ai ai ai
The time is coming
The day is already breaking, my dear
I have to go