Often includes acoustic guitar (violão) and percussion, characteristic of his "samba jazz" and folk-influenced MPB style.
Rodrigues transforms the simple folk melody into a lively, upbeat track. His version typically features: O Cravo e a Rosa - Jair Rodrigues
The song served as a key theme for the telenovela O Cravo e a Rosa , a romantic comedy set in the 1920s inspired by William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew . O Cravo e a Rosa - Jair Rodrigues
The Carnation (O Cravo) and the Rose (A Rosa) have a fight under a balcony. O Cravo e a Rosa - Jair Rodrigues
The Carnation ends up "wounded," and the Rose has her dress torn.
The lyrics follow the traditional folk tale of the two flowers: