The song’s brilliance lies in its mathematical "construction." It is composed of dodecasyllabic verses where every line ends in a proparoxytone (a word stressed on the third-to-last syllable), such as máquina , última , and sábado .

"Construção" remains a landmark for its fusion of experimental music, intricate poetry, and bold political dissent. It continues to be studied in Brazilian universities and remains relevant as a commentary on dehumanization and social inequality.

The song consists of three sections. In each, the verses are largely the same, but the final proparoxytone words are shuffled.

The strings mimic the worker's "flight" like a bird and his subsequent heavy fall "like a floppy package".

This wordplay changes the meaning of the worker's actions—for example, he kisses his wife "as if it were the last time" in the first verse, but "as if it were logical" in the third. This repetition mirrors the mechanical, repetitive nature of labor.

Arranged by Rogério Duprat , the music progressively builds tension using orchestral elements.