Domingo

The song "Domingo" by Maria Bethânia, a renowned Brazilian singer known for her emotive performances and deep connection to Brazilian musical traditions, offers a poignant reflection on the experience of solitude and the conscious choice to embrace joy over sorrow. The lyrics convey a narrative of someone who has designated Sunday as a day of peace and happiness, a day when they refuse to let sadness or longing take hold. This personal decree sets a boundary against the emotional turmoil that might pervade the other days of the week.

Bethânia's lyrics suggest a deliberate effort to control one's emotional state, choosing to focus on the positive aspects of life, even if it's just for one day. The repetition of the lines "Domingo eu não choro" (Sunday I do not cry) and "Domingo eu não sofro" (Sunday I do not suffer) emphasizes the singer's determination to keep Sundays sacred and free from pain. The metaphor of life as a circus and the singer as a trapeze artist on Sundays further illustrates the idea of performing happiness and defying the gravity of life's challenges, at least temporarily.

The song also touches on the theme of letting go, as the singer expresses a willingness to accept the end of a love affair, provided it happens on a Sunday. This acceptance is not passive but rather an active choice to find beauty in solitude ("posso até achar / Que ficar só é lindo" - I can even find / That being alone is beautiful). The song, therefore, becomes an anthem for those who seek to find strength and joy within themselves, regardless of external circumstances.