"Trem das Onze" ( English: "The 11 o’clock Train") is a

samba Samba () is a broad term for many of the rhythms that compose the better known Brazilian music genres that originated in the Afro-Brazilians, Afro Brazilian communities of Bahia in the late 19th century and early 20th century, It is a name or ...

composition by Brazilian singer-songwriter Adoniran Barbosa. 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 one of the most representative cultural symbols of the city of

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

. 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 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 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. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' as the 15th greatest Brazilian song.

References

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

See also

References