The song tells the story of a young female "retirante" (migrant) called Maria do Ingá who, being from Northwestern Brazil, leaves the singer (who apparently had a inflatuation for her) with her family for a better life in the South.
The song tells the story of a young female "retirante" (migrant) called Maria from Ingá, a town in Northwestern Brazil devastated by draught. She leaves the singer (who apparently had a inflatuation for her) with her family for a better life in the South.