Estilhaços literally translates to "shrapnel" or "splinters". It's a powerful and dramatic word you don't hear every day, especially in a beautiful, calm ballad like this one.
In the song, António Zambujo sings about walking "entre balas e estilhaços" (between bullets and shrapnel). He uses this intense imagery as a metaphor for the chaotic and painful inner state he is desperate to escape. This striking contrast between the gentle melody and the violent lyrics makes estilhaços a truly unforgettable word.
Leva-me De Mim is a poetic plea for escape. António Zambujo and Miguel Araújo sing from the point of view of someone who feels trapped inside his own skin and longs for a trusted partner to whisk him away. The narrator does not care about the destination; what matters is fleeing from the rubble of his past self, outrunning the wind and even time itself. By asking, “Leva-me de mim” (“Take me away from myself”), he dreams of finally becoming “what I never was,” free from old fears and limitations.
Behind the gentle melody you will hear urgency, humor, and bold imagery: walking “between bullets and shrapnel,” slipping “through the great door on shoulders,” or simply vanishing “beyond the setting sun.” These lines mix danger with optimism, creating a cinematic road trip where the only luggage is hope. In short, the song invites us to imagine that reinvention is possible if we just dare to grab a friend’s hand, leave the past in ruins, and step into the wide unknown with a lighter heart.
António Zambujo is one of Portugal's most celebrated voices, a singer who has gently reinvented fado for a new generation. Born in 1975 in Beja, in the southern Alentejo region, he grew up surrounded by the area's rich choral tradition known as Cante Alentejano and fell in love early with the great fado voices, above all Amália Rodrigues. He first trained on the clarinet as a child and won his first fado contest at just sixteen.
His warm, understated style blends fado with jazz, bossa nova and Brazilian music, and it has earned him awards at home and Latin Grammy nominations abroad. This song comes from his album Cidade, written and composed entirely by fellow Portuguese musician Miguel Araújo, who also joins him on the track.