"Trem das Onze" (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: "The 11 o’clock Train") is a samba composition by Brazilian singer-songwriter

Adoniran Barbosa Adoniran Barbosa, artistic name of João Rubinato (6 August 1910 – 23 November 1982), was a noted Brazilian São Paulo style samba singer and composer. Biography Early years João Rubinato was the seventh child of Francesco (Fernando) Rubinat ...

. Released in 1964 and made famous that same year by the samba group Demônios da Garoa, it is one of the best known Brazilian

popular songs Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

and considered some of the most representative cultural symbols of the city of

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...

. In the song, Barbosa portrays in his signature-style witty and somewhat tragicomic lyrics the drama of a lover who lives in the distant Jaçanã suburb of São Paulo, and who cannot stay longer with his beloved woman because the last train will be departing soon, at 11 p.m., and his mother won't sleep until he gets home. The song is an example of both the classic

paulista Paulista is a municipality in Pernambuco, Brazil, with a population of 334,376 as of 2020. It has the highest Human Development Index (HDI) of the Recife metropolitan area. It is the birthplace of footballer Rivaldo and is also famous for its beac ...

samba, the variant of samba developed in São Paulo, and the use of a composition structure known as " samba-de-breque" (literally ''brake samba''), where the

instrumental accompaniment Accompaniment is the musical part which provides the rhythmic and/or harmonic support for the melody or main themes of a song or instrumental piece. There are many different styles and types of accompaniment in different genres and styles ...

stops suddenly, giving room to a brief commentary in spoken word about the lyric subject by the lead singer, very much like opening parenthesis. The song was voted by the Brazilian edition of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' as the 15th greatest Brazilian song.

References

Brazilian songs Songs about Brazil Songs about trains Portuguese-language songs Samba songs 1964 songs Songs written by Adoniran Barbosa {{Brazil-music-stub

See also

References