La do Alto da Torre Lyrics - Leo Ramos & Isa Salles

Song Facts:

• Genre: Soundtrack


• Featured Artists: Leo Ramos & Isa Salles


• Part of the soundtrack for the production "A Infância de Romeu e Julieta"

Annotations and Meaning:

The song "Lá do Alto da Torre," realized by Leo Ramos and Isa Salles, is one containing reflective meditations on social inequality and the perspective of the individual. The song begins by making an observation on human diversity and the difficulty in classifying them. It focuses on showing the respect and understanding that every individual has their view of the world.
The core of the song is a contrast between the life that people born under different setups—that of modest backgrounds versus the one that is born with affluence. Indeed, it is based on the fact that real value lies within ("Nosso verdadeiro tesouro"), as in material possessions do not define the worth an individual has. Even the recurring line, "To be or not to be, to have or not to have," reflecting that of Shakespeare's question, seems to apply with a difference in what makes one really better or worse.

In the film, a group of bourgeois youth—Karen, Rosalina, Alex, and Romeu—literally look down from the tower in this metaphor for the world being their playground. If anything, that is an extremely individualistic approach to wealth—it indicates the creation of great distance, even more so in both the literal and metaphorical senses. This is detachment and isolation—sometimes even cluelessness to greater ills that befall those less fortunate.

In the chorus, "Eis a questão, o que será melhor?," the question of what will be better forces people to really think about the moral and ethical consequences of being and having. This, in particular, invokes one into a reflection of value, sensitizing the impact of one's choices and lifestyle on others and forming the disparities in life not around possessions but around being—one's character essence.

Themes and Messages:

Lyrics of "Lá do Alto da Torre" deal with topics of socio-economic disparity, value with the subjectivist view, and reflection on the existential identity. That inspires much meditation on the larger point of what true wealth really is: much consideration of internal qualities over external gains. The sociological significance of the song may as well find its very nature in appeal for empathy and understanding from the host of social divides, clearly articulating a message of respect and worth, such as treasures in human existence.
Most importantly, "Lá do Alto da Torre" is a touching reflection of social divisions and what the real sense of personal worth is all about, encapsulated through evocative storytelling and metaphorically rich language.