Gilberto wrote the song on the banks of the São Francisco river as he watched laundresses passing by, balancing loads on their heads. Inspired by the swaying of their steps, Gilberto reproduced their rhythm with "Bim-Bom".
The only lyrics of the song, apart from Bim-bom-bim, are roughly translated as This is all of my song / And there's nothing more / My heart has asked that it be this way. Bossa nova would come to be known for the relaxed simplicity of its lyrics as is exemplified in "Bim-Bom".