In 1970 in Uruguay Vinicius had married actress Gesse Gessy, the latter of whom made him deeply immerse himself in the Candomblé universe, as can be observed in this composition. The song recovers African values both in the narrative, which goes back to the legends and/or mythological character of the religion of African origin, as it introduces in the singing instruments characteristic of that culture. Not that this was new, since Vinícius had already experimented, with Baden Powell in the 1966 album Os Afro-sambas.[1] The difference is that in the 1960s, those compositions were made as if in a flirtatious relationship while, in the 1970s, the relationship with candomblé and its mysteries is that of a seeker. At this stage, the religious content of the songs comes from a syncretism, as the poet is questioning the mystical values of his early religious training and incorporating other values, other beliefs such as candomblé, that he has internalized and that are part of his sensibility as a poet.[2]
