Asa Branca is a song written by Luiz Gonzaga

Luiz Gonzaga

Luiz Gonzaga do Nascimento was a very prominent Brazilian folk singer, songwriter, musician and poet. Born in the countryside of Pernambuco , he is considered to be responsible for the promotion of northeastern music throughout the rest of the country...

 and Humberto Teixeira in 1947. It has been covered by Zé Ramalho

Zé Ramalho

Zé Ramalho is a Brazilian composer and performer. Zé Ramalho has collaborated with various major Brazilian musicians, including Vanusa, Geraldo Azevedo and Alceu Valença to name a few...

 in his 2003 album Estação Brasil

Estação Brasil

- Personnel :* Zé Ramalho - Acoustic guitar on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 20, lead vocals on tracks 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, Arrangement on tracks 2, 8, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, electric guitar on tracks 2, 18, electric guitar solo on track...

, also see Forro in the Dark

Forro in the Dark

Forro in the Dark is a New York-based collective of Brazilian expatriates that formed in 2002. The group combines the musical style of forró , “the percussion-heavy, rhythmic dance music” of their native Brazil, with elements of rock, folk, jazz, and country....

 with David Byrne

David Byrne

David Byrne may refer to:*David Byrne , musician and former Talking Heads frontman**David Byrne , his eponymous album*David Byrne , Irish footballer*David Byrne , English footballer...

. It is about the drought

Drought

A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...

s that often afflict the sertão

Sertão

In Portuguese, the word sertão first referred to the vast hinterlands of Asia that Lusitanian explorers encountered. In Brazil, the geographical term referred to backlands away from the Atlantic coastal regions where the Portuguese first settled in South America in the early sixteenth century...

of the Brazilian Northeast:
The asa-branca ("white wing") of the title is the picazuro pigeon

Picazuro Pigeon

The Picazuro Pigeon is a common pigeon native to South America.-Description:Patagioenas picazuro is a brown bird with white dashes on the back of its neck and darker brown wing patterns. It is similar in appearance to the Spotted Dove.-Distribution:The Picazuro Pigeon is found in Argentina,...

http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S0034-71082000000400017&script=sci_arttext&tlng=en. With its departure the desolation of the parched sertão is complete, and the protagonist of the song, unable to make a living, must leave the sertão and his lady-love Rosinha. The song closes with his promise to return:

A Volta da Asa-Branca

A Volta da Asa-Branca is a sequel to "Asa Branca". It marks the return of rain, the asa-branca, and the protagonist to the sertão. The song celebrates the return of life to the sertão, and the protagonist's reunion with Rosinha, whom he plans to marry at the end of the year.