One of the main lyricists and intellectual mentors of Tropicalism, the poet Torquato Neto contributed to the movement with the text of one of its manifesto-songs, "Geléia geral"(General jam), apart from others, also significant, such as "Marginália 2" and "Mamãe coragem"(Mother courage). Before that he had composed "Louvação"(Praise) with Gilberto Gil. Apart from Gil, he had Caetano Veloso and Jards Macalé as his principal partners.

Born in Terezina, Piauí, in 1948, Torquato committed suicide in 1972, in Rio, leaving unpublished poems brought together in "Os últimos dias de paupéria"(The last days of pauperism). The book, posthumously published, also included his articles for a carioca newspaper, "Última Hora", in which he demonstrated great combativeness in the defense and disclosure of vanguard artists’ works linked to either music or poetry or also underground cinema.