Mainha is a very affectionate and regional term for 'mommy' or 'mama', particularly common in the Northeast of Brazil. It's a warm, intimate word that evokes a strong sense of family and childhood.
In the song, Maria Rita sings about what her mainha taught her, and later, how she herself becomes a mainha. This word is central to the song's theme of maternal love, wisdom, and the passing down of values through generations, making it both unique and deeply meaningful.
Maria Rita turns her mother's old advice into a love song. She opens with "Ainda me lembro com clareza / O que mainha me ensinou" ("I still remember clearly / What mom taught me") — respect nature, give thanks for a full table, walk a good path, and give and receive tenderness rather than live in disarray. That upbringing turns out to be a blueprint for romance: "Só se entregar a um grande amor" ("Only surrender to a great love"), and by the second half she's living it, greeting the sunrise and dusk with someone she loves.
The title line becomes a small joke on itself: "Hoje eu sou mainha / Mainha tem razão" ("Today I am mom / Mom is right"). The daughter who once just listened has become the mother figure her own advice described, proof the lesson worked.