Minha Mãe

António Mello Corrêa's song 'Minha Mãe' is a deeply emotional and introspective piece that delves into themes of pain, loss, and the complex relationship between a mother and her child. The lyrics are imbued with a sense of melancholy and longing, as the narrator expresses his sorrow and confusion through the metaphor of night. The night, in this context, represents a time of reflection and solitude, where the narrator feels free to express his true emotions away from the harshness of the day.

The repeated invocation of 'Minha mãe' (My mother) throughout the song highlights the central role that the mother figure plays in the narrator's life. The mother is both a source of comfort and a cause of pain, as evidenced by the lines 'Minha mãe, eu choro a noite / Neste amor em que me afundo' (My mother, I cry at night / In this love in which I drown). This duality reflects the complex nature of familial relationships, where love and hurt often coexist.

The imagery of a boat lost at sea in the line 'Como um barco que te afasta / E se perde no mar alto' (Like a boat that moves away from you / And gets lost in the high sea) further emphasizes the narrator's feelings of isolation and disorientation. The sea, vast and unpredictable, mirrors the emotional turmoil that the narrator is experiencing. The song concludes with a poignant acknowledgment of fate ('fado'), a concept deeply rooted in Portuguese culture, suggesting that the narrator's suffering is an inescapable part of his destiny. This final acceptance of his pain, while still dressed in the metaphorical 'night,' underscores the enduring impact of his mother's influence on his life.