The song was written by bass guitarist Nando Reis and dedicated to his son, Sebastião,[1] who was 6 at the time of the recording.
[2] Reis created the song as the band was preparing to begin work on their then upcoming album, but because he didn't have any song to show them, he was in agony and wrote the lyrics.
It was written by Nando in Taos, USA, where he was recording overdubs for his then upcoming album A Letra A with producer and drummer Barrett Martin.
Barrett was dating an Indian woman who lived in a nearby village.
One night, Nando participated in a shamanic ritual with her tribe, and soon after, he sat in front of a fireplace in Barrett's house and quickly wrote the track that he says is possibly his biggest hit.