With this song Brazilian singer Marisa Monte honors “Prophet Kindness” (11 April 1917 — 28 May 1996), a Brazilian urban personality, who became known by making quirky inscriptions under an overpass in Rio de Janeiro, where he walked in a white robe and a long beard. “Gentileza gera gentileza” (“Kindness creates kindness”) is his most famous phrase.
From 1980, he picked 56 flyover pilasters in Rio de Janeiro, ranging from Cemitério do Caju to Novo Rio Bus Station, a distance of roughly 1.5 km. He then filled the flyover pilasters with inscriptions in yellow-green proposing his criticism of the world and his alternative to the unease of civilization.
During the Eco ’92, Prophet Gentileza placed himself strategically in the place through which passed the countries representatives and incited them to live the kindness and enforce it throughout the whole World.
After his death the wall paintings were damaged by taggers, vandalized, and later covered with gray paint. The elimination of the inscriptions was criticized. With help from Rio de Janeiro city government the project “Rio com Gentileza” was created, with the goal of restoring the pilasters wall paintings. They began to be restored in January 1999. In May 2000, the restoration was completed and the carioca urban heritage inscriptions were preserved.
Lyrics & Translation:
Apagaram tudo
Pintaram tudo de cinza
A palavra no muro ficou coberta de tinta
Apagaram tudo
Pintaram tudo de cinza
Só ficou no muro tristeza e tinta fresca
Nós que passamos apressados
Pelas ruas da cidade
Merecemos ler as letras e as palavras de gentileza
Por isso eu pergunto a você no mundo
Se é mais inteligente o livro ou a sabedoria
O mundo é uma escola
A vida é um circo
Amor palavra que liberta
Já dizia um profeta
Apagaram tudo
Pintaram tudo de cinza
Só ficou no muro tristeza e tinta fresca
Por isso eu pergunto a você no mundo
Se é mais inteligente o livro ou a sabedoria
O mundo é uma escola
A vida é um circo
Amor palavra que liberta
Já dizia o profeta
They’ve erased everything
Painted all grey
The word on the wall
Is covered with paint
They’ve erased everything
Painted all grey
(What’s) only left on the wall
(Is) sadness and fresh paint
But we who rush by
Through the city’s streets
Deserve to read Kindness’
Letters and words
So therefore I ask you
Out there in the world
Which is smarter?
The book or wisdom?
The world is a school
Life is a circus
Love, word that frees
So said the Prophet
They’ve erased everything
Painted all grey
(What’s) only left on the wall
(Is) sadness and fresh paint
So therefore I ask you
Out there in the world
Which is smarter?
The book or wisdom?
The world is a school
Life is a circus
Love, word that frees
So said the Prophet
Image by Heiko Behn from Pixabay
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