Cantigas de Capoeira Lyrics, Translation, comments, etc. We are very proud of our new CD and we want to share with you some parts of it. In this section, we are offering you not only the translation of the lyrics, but also comments on the meaning of some words and on the cultural context in which those words function. We believe that those insights are important for our American students who want to learn about the cultural context in which capoeira thrives. Please note, that the orthography of some of the words is phonetic in the way that capoeira people speak. This CD was a very fun project and we truly believe that it materializes our statement in its insert: “Capoeira is a celebration of joy without boundaries“. We also want to thank all of our friends for the support, to Mestre Olavo for the berimbaus we used in this recording and to our students for their enthusiasm and constant inspiration. Among the students, Mark Rendón (Bateria) was an essential participant with his good will and positive presence as Assistant Producer. A couple of words of concern. It is very common for any of us to pick up material that we like and to place them out of its original context, creating a different image from the one intended by the author. Therefore, we ask all of you who are reading this material to be careful when quoting it, because we are dealing with deep cultural values of a people who have devoted centuries of their life to capoeira. Please, be careful to not distorting it and consequently misrepresent capoeira. Love capoeira for what it is and then it will love you for what you are. Mestre Acordeon
Band 1:BERIMBAU DE OURO
Lead singers: Acordeon, Destino (Destani Wolf-Bravo) and Cravo Comments by Mestre Acordeon
Literally, berimbau de ouro means “berimbau of gold.“ When people use the term “de ouro,“ however, they mean something very precious. One of the musical pieces I like the most was recorded by Vavá, who died in 1998. He was the son of Popó de Santo Amaro (Paulino Aloisio de Andrade), the man responsible for preserving the art form of maculelê. Without Popo, maculelê probably would have disappeared as did many other popular AfricanBrazilian expressions. In Vava’s album recorded in 1984/88 by the Instituto Nacional do Foclore MEC/Brasil, Vavá sung in his Ladainha. “O meu berimbau de ouro, eu deixei no Carimbó...“ This gave me the idea of singing “I left my golden berimbau in the Gantois“. Gantois is the neighborhood of a famous candomblé. Candomblé is the name of the social organization of African-Brazilian religions and beliefs. For many years, the Candomblé in the Gantois was guided by the tender, sweet hands of Mãe Menininha, one of the most famous mãe de santo (candomblé priestess) of all times. The high point of this recording is Destino’s vocals, bringing another dimension in terms of musical quality to this piece.
O meu berimbau de ouro, minha mãe, eu deixei no Gantois O meu berimbau de ouro , minha mãe, eu deixei no Gantois É um gunga bem falante que dá gosto de tocar Eu deixei com Menininha para ela abençoá Amanhã as sete horas p’ra Bahia vou voltar Vou buscar meu berimbau que deixei no Gantois, Ha! ha! I left my berimbau of gold in the Gantois It is a gunga (a bass berimbau) with a good voice that pleases one to play. I left it with Menininha for her to bless. Tomorow at 7 am I will go back to Bahia. I’m going to pick up my berimbau de ouro that I left in the Gantois. E viva meu Deus.
Eh a capoeira, camará Ai ai Aide Joga bonito que eu quero ver joga bonito que eu quero aprender Joga bonito que eu quero ver Joga bonito que eu quero aprender Angola ê, Angolá, Angola ê mandigueira, Angolá Vou mimbora pra Bahia amanhã eu vou pra la Vou jogar a capoeira no mercado popular Paranaê, paranaê, paraná Vou mimbora, vou mimbora como ja disse que vou paraná Paranauê, Paranauê Vim lá da Bahia pra lhe ver Vim lá da Bahia pra lhe ver Vim lá da Bahia pra lhe ver P’ra lhe ver, p’ra lhe ver, p‘ra lhe ver Vou manda leco Cajuê vou manda loia Cajuê Lecô, loiá Eh sacode a poeira, embalança, embalança, embalança Berimbau e feito de beriba, uma cabeça bem maneira Mestre Bimba que me deu Entra na roda, abre o peito e sai falando toca Iuna e banguela mostra o som que Deus lhe deu O meu berimbau de ouro, minha mãe, eu deixei no Gantois O meu berimbau de ouro, minha mãe, eu deixei no Gantois Eu sai da minha terra por ter sina viajeira Caminhando pelo mundo, ensinando capoeira Amanhã as sete horas p’ra Bahia vou voltar Vou buscar meu berimbau que deixei no Gantois, camaradinho. Eh viva meu Deus Eh é hora é hora Eh vamos embora
It is difficult to translate “sacode a poeira, embalanca, embalança“. Literally, it does not make sense a sentence such as: “shake the dust, wobble. wobble...“ Sacudir a poeira really means “to go for it“, “to step on the gas“. “to commit yourself. “ It also means if you take a fall in life, you should shake the dust and to move forward immediately. “Embalança, embalanca, embalançá“ reminds me of a popular expression in Portuguese that can be translated as: “whoever goes on the crest of the wave goes wobbling,“ whoever takes the initiative also takes the chance of not performing very well. Capoeiristas always go for it during the jogo. They may stumble but they will always find a way of not falling too badly. Then, I comment on my berimbau saying that “it is made of beriba wood with a nice gourd and it was given to me by Mestre Bimba. It steps in the roda, opens its chest and sings the rhythms of Iuna and Banguela, showing all the power of its voice.
Ai ai aide Olha joga bonito que eu quero aprender Ai ai aide ***
Band 2: MANDE UM ABRAÇO PRA ELA
Lead singer and comments by Mestre Rã. This was the very first capoeira song I ever fell in love with. It reminds me of my first teacher, Mestre Evaldo Lopes “Galo“. Galo was a great capoeirista who studied with Mestre Joel in São Paulo. He never gave to his students a very formal capoeira class, however, he instilled in all of us a great love for the art. This song was one of his preferred canto de capoeira. I decided to start with it because it brings back good memories.
Capoeira que vem da Bahia Vem da terra de São Salvador Mande um abraço pra ela E diga pro meu amor Diga que estou pra morrer de saudade Capoeira me chamou Tico tico canta na mata Sabia’ canta na laranjeira Nunca vi roda de samba Sem jogo de capoeira Eh beriba e’ pau de fazê berimbau Beriba é pau De fazê berimbau Capoeira that comes from Bahia It comes from the land of São Salvador Send a hug to my love and let her know that I miss her to death and that capoeira is calling me “Tico-tico“ bird sings in the woods Sabiá sings on the orange tree I’ve never seen a “roda de samba“ without being followed by capoeira games Biriba is a wood, the wood to make berimbau
When I met Medicina - - one of the first students of Mestre Suassuna from Itabuna city in the interior of Bahia -- he was teaching in Mar Grande, a small city in the Island of Itaparica. His capoeira group with many good capoeiristas was called “Meninos da Ilha.“ Among his students there was a great songwriter and singer named Barão da Ilha. I always loved his songs, specially the one bellow. I could only remember the chorus part. Therefore, I rewrote my own version of the song, using the same chorus.
E toma sentido No aperto da mão Que a capoeira E’ historia e tradição Eleva o espirito Para me inspirar Jogo capoeira Pra pode me libertar Eu falei capoeira ai ai Eh capoeira ai aia E’ um jogo que balança o corpo pra la’ e pra ca’ Eu falei capoeira ai ai ai Attention, the senses come together at the hand shake, because capoeira is history and tradition. It elevates the spirit and it inspires me I play capoeira to free my soul I’m talking about capoeira! Eh capoeira-a-a It is a game that makes the body swing around
Entrou pra historia No Brasil colonial Lutou em batalhas Virou luta nacional E deu volta ao mundo E o mundo virou Em terras alheias a todos encantou
It made history During the colonial times It fought in battles to become a national fight And it went around the world turning the world around , enchanting all.
One way or the other, most of the songs in this CD mention the city of Salvador, Bahia. I decided to include a song about the city of Rio de Janeiro which has a long capoeira tradition. In the late 1800’s, in the streets of Rio, a capoeirista nicknamed Manduca da Praia become famous and well respected for his memorable fights using his inseparable cane as an efficient weapon. He is a hero in many capoeira songs such as this one:
Que barulho e’ esse e’ um tal de zum zum zum? Foi o Manduca da praia que acabou de matar um Quando a policia chegou foi um tal de auê, auê Vamo simbora seu moço que essa briga e’ pra vale What noise is that, a kind of zoon zoon zoon ? That was Manduca da Praia who just killed another one When the police arrived it was a big mess Let's get out of here 'cause this fight is for real
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Band 3:BRINCADEIRA TEM HORA
Lead singer and comments by Mestre Acordeon This song was one of the most difficult for me. First of all, the pitch was really high for my vocal range. Second, this is the song with the highest charge of emotion in this recording. I believe that the contemporary discourse of capoeira is at fault in many aspects and I wanted to protest by bringing up some qualities and characteristics of Mestre Bimba: his style, roots and africanicity. At the same time, I did not want to sound bitter or upset about the diversity of opinions because I am not. I do welcome this diversity because it means that people from many walks of life have been bewitched by the capoeira enchantment. Vocabulary: Quilombola: people who lived in the quilombos (maroon society of the 19th century} or those with a positive proposal for the black people’s self affirmation. Mandigueiro: Someone who has the knowledge of mandinga, sorcerer power of the candomblé people. In capoeira, mandinga encompasses several qualities, including the knowledge and use of rituals, tricks and cunning. Manhoso: a quality of who has “manha“, one kind of feline quality, apparently soft and unharmful but wise and sharp on the stalk of the prey.
Quilombola mandigueiro jogador de capoeira Mestre Bimba era o rei, da Pituba a Ribeira Quilombola mandigueiro jogador de capoeira Jogava duro e manhoso, nossa arte verdadeira Brincadeira tem hora Joga com garra e mandinga Esse jogo é tinhoso não é angola É capoeira de Bimba Joga com garra e mandinga Esse jogo e tinhoso não é angola É capoeira de Bimba
Hoje em dia me espanto Com tanto papo furado Se dizer que capoeira É somente brincadeira Esquecendo a sua historia O seu passado de glória Como luta verdadeira Capoeira é uma arte Do Africano de valor Que usava a cabeçada P’ra se livrar do feitor Oi, sim, sim, sim . Oi não, não, não Oi, sim, sim, sim. Oi Não, não, não Quilombola full of mandinga, capoeira player Mestre Bimba was the king from Pituba to Ribeira Quilombola full of mandinga, capoeira player He used to play hard and “manhoso“ our true art. There is a time to full around (which is not at this game) Play with your guts and mandinga because This game is “full of edges“ (demanding, trick...) It is not capoeira angola, it is capoeira of Bimba Nowadays I’m amazed with so much bull, such as the talk that capoeira is only a playful game Not taking into consideration its glorious past and history as a true fight. Capoeira is an art that comes from the African of worth who used head butts to free himself from the slave hunters.
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Faixa 4: EU NASCI FOI DE REPENTE
Lead singer and comments by Mestre Rã Modesty is a great quality that every capoeirista should cultivate. But every capoeirista likes to brag from time to time about how good they are. This is part of the game’s ritual, normally done in the form of singing but with such an absurd exaggeration that it is actually funny. In this song, I imagine myself at the berimbau, getting ready for a rough game.
Eu nasci foi de repente Sem parteira e nem Dotô Saltei fora bem ligeiro Minha mãe nem sentiu dô Eu caço sem cão nem gato Porque sou bom caçadô De mulé eu tive muita Mas nehuma me pegô Agora cabei de crê Que general num é dotô I was born suddenly Without midwife or doctor I jumped out into this world so quickly That my mother felt no pain * I hunt without dog or cat Because I am a good hunter I have had lots of women But none ever caught me Now I just believed That general is not a doctor * In portuguese, the expression “Who does not have a dog will hunt with a cat.“ So when I say, “I hunt without dog or cat“ I mean that I make do with what I have, and even with what I don’t have.
Camará... Iê viva meu mestre Iê quem me ensinou Iê a capoeira
Bentivi botô gameleira no chão Bentivi botô Gameleira no chão Botô que euvi Gameleira no chão Botô botô Gameleira no chão Bentivi (a Brazilian bird) took the Gameleira tree down. Capoeiristas sing their songs in different ways. In this case, I sing about a bird, but in other versions of this traditional song, people sing of a crab from the swamps of the Bay of All Saints that takes the Gamaleira tree down by pinching the roots with its claws. The capoeira moral of the story is the smaller opponent can still take the big guy down, or that strength and size don’t always count in the jogo de capoeira.
Camujerê como tá como tá Camujerê Como vai vosmecê Camujerê Eu vou bem de saúde Camujerê Para mim é um prazer Nem tudo que reluz é ouro Nem tudo que balança cai Nem tudo que reluz é ouro Nem tudo que balança cai Cai cai cai cai Cai cai cai cai Capoeira balança mas não cai Not everything that shines is gold Not everything that stumbles falls Capoeira stumbles but doesn’t fall
Foi você quem me disse Que filho de Bimba não cai
Faixa 5 AVISA MEU MANO
Lead singer and comments by Mestre Acordeon
It was you who told me That Bimba’s son won’t fall May fall, may fall Capoeira stumbles but doesn’t fall
Avisa meu mano, avisa meu mano, avisa meu mano, capoeira mandou me chamar Capoeira é luta nossa da era colonial E nasceu foi na Bahia Angola e Regional
Dona Maria do Camboatá Ela chega na venda e manda botá Dona Maria do Camboatá
Let my brother know that capoeira sent for me Capoeira is our fight from the colonial era It was born in Bahia, Angola and Regional
Ela chega na venda e da salto mortá Dona Maria do Camboatá
É do Camboatá é do Camboatá
Gunga é meu, gunga é meu Gunga é meu foi meu pai quem me deu
Dona Maria do Camboatá
Santo Antônio é protetor Da barquinha de Noé
This gunga is mine my daddy gave it to me
Santo Antônio é protetor
Cariri boca da areia
Valha-me Deus, senhor São Bento Vou cantar meu barravento Valha-me Deus senhor São Bento Buraco fundo tem cobra Dentro
Santo Antônio é protetor
Nazaré Paranaguá Santo Antônio é protetor
Nega que vende aí Camujerê Lembaê lemba Lemba do barro vermelho Abalou capoeira abalou
Madeira de masaranduba, madeira de jacarandá Eh beriba é pau é madeira, madeira de tocar ***
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Faixa 6: CANTANDO ATRAVESSADO
Lead singer and comments by Mestre Acordeon Once a student of mine Orlando Green wrote a ladainha for me in which he said that “capoeira voou... voou.“ In the context of his lyrics, the meaning was that capoeira flew through the world because of Mestre Bimba’s work and my teachings. Orlando’s lyrics stuck in my mind. “Cantando Atravessado“ came about because of Orlando’s ladainha, that one day I will record in its entirety. “Cantando Atravessado“ also means singing off rhythm. I sang the entire first part of this song - - the ladainha - - one bit ahead of the right tempo. I did that intentionally, trying to recreate the unique mood which my dearest friend Mestre João Pequeno brings out while singing out of the rhythm. João usually sings: “Boa noite meus, senhores, a todos eu vou louvar... “ in his own rhthym but he always get his message across because he has capoeira in his veins and soul.
Boa noite gente fina Boa noite gente fina, a todos vamos louvar Hoje é dia de festa, sua benção Oxalá Eu também sou capoeira, da licença vou cantar Vou cantar para o meu mestre que me ensinou a jogar Agradeço a Mestre Bimba o que sei da brincadeira Dessa luta mandigueira, arte de muito valor Que ele me ensinou sorrindo, com axé e com amor Vadiar na malandragem e lhe dar o seu valor Cada qual tem seu caminho, sua ideia opinião Vida é redemoinho, todo mundo a girar Gira roda, gira mundo, roda gira vamos la, camaradinho Viva meu Deus Good evening, my good people I want to salute all of you because today is a celebration day... I ask for your blessing, Oxalá ! I’m asking permission to sing because I’m a capoeirista and I want to sing to my mestre, he who taught me how to play capoeira I’m thankful to Mestre Bimba for whatever I know about this playful game, about this fight full of mandinga, this art of true worth. An art form that he taught me with a smile on the face, with axé and great love. He taught me how to go around the world and how to give capoeira its
worth. Each one has his or her own path, idea and opinion The life is a whirlpool, everybody spinning around Spin wheel, spin world, the roda is spinning. Let’s go play, my friend. Long live my god!
Olha Santa Maria mãe de Deus, eu fui na igreja vou me confessar Hoje é dia de festa, dia de Oxalá Vou rezar p’ro meu santo me abençoá Quem não pode com mandinga não carrega patuá Olha Santa Maria mãe de Deus, eu fui na igreja não me confessei Saint Mary, mother of God, I went to the church to confess my sins. Today is a celebration day, day of Oxalá I’m going to pray to my saint to bless me Who can not handle mandinga does not carry a patuá Saint Mary, mother of God, I went to the church but I did not confess. Patuá is a little bag full of magical (sacred) stuff that people carry around their necks to protect themselves against evil eyes and bad influences. When I sing “who can not handle mandinga does not carry a patuá“, goes along with a very popular saying from Bahia that means something like “if you can not stand the heat get out of the kitchen“.
Oh nega que vende ai, agora vou perguntar Onde mora o Waldemar Voce ouviu ele cantar aonde mora o Waldemar Agora vou perguntar Onde mora o Waldemar Oh sister who is selling goods on the street Where does Mestre Waldemar live? Did you hear him singing? Where does he live? Mestre Waldemar, a contemporary of Mestre Bimba was one of the greatest capoeira singers I ever met. He also was very famous for making berimbaus and organizing a roda de capoeira every Saturday by his school at the
Liberdade neighborhood. He died a couple of years ago, after recording a CD in which Mestre Canjiquinha also participated.
Mas to dormindo to sonhando, tão falando mal de mim Oh não me deixam sossegar Vou benzer meu patuá Tão falando mal de mim Agora vou acordar I’m sleeping deeply and dreaming and they are talking badly about me They do not let me rest quietly I’m going to bless my patuá because they are talking badly about me And now, I’m going to wake up
Olha chora menino Menino chorou Porque não mamou Cala boca menino Oh menino danado O menino é chorão O menino chorou Porque não mamaou The baby is crying because he did not breast feed Be quiet little boy This boy is a crying baby He is crying because he did not eat
Quem nunca viu venha ver, nicouri quebrar Dendê Quem nunca viu venha ver, ah meu Deus, Nicouri quebrar Dendê In reality, I should have sung: “licuri botá dendê.“ Licuri is a kind of tree and dendê is the seed of the read palm tree. It refers to an odd thing that may happen during a jogo. Who has never seen, come now to see The nicuri braking dendê .
Voou, voou, Meste Bimba avoou Eh foi por céu e não voltou
Seu Pastinha avoou Canjiquinha avoou Eziquiel avoou O Vermelho avoou He flew away... Mestre Bimba flew away He went to heaven and did not return Mestre Pastinha flew away Mestre Canjiquinha, Eziquiel and Vermelho also flew away
Adeus Corina Dandão Dandandan dandarandão Good bye Corina Dandão!
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Band 7: JOGO ARREPIADO
Lead singer and comments by Mestre Acordeon Lá na mata escura, o galo cacarejou Nessa roda mandigueira o jogo arrepiou Ole-le-ô, o jogo arrepiou Down far into the dark jungle the rooster sang In this roda full of mandinga the game itself got goose bumps. When we say the “game itself got goose bumps“ it means that the game becomes difficult, challenging and fight oriented.
Quem não quer melar o dedo, não come do vatapá Quem não tem o couro grosso nessa roda vai sobrar Ole-le-ô, o jogo arrepiou Who does not want to get their finger dirty Does not eat the Vatapá Who does not have a hard skin will be left out of this roda Vatapá is a typical food from Bahia made with stale bread, dried shrimp, cashew, and red palm oil (Azeite de Dendê). See the recipe in the section of Cultural Environment, including traditional Brazilian Food recipes, coming soon.
A bananeira caiu Cai, cai, cai bananeira A bananeira caiu Cai, cai, cai, cai, cai bananeira A bananeira caiu The machete hit (sliced) low and the banana tree fell down Normally we use this song in the game when some one took a nice and clean rasteira , a technique using the feet to sweep the opponent.
Mas eu pisei na folha seca eu ouvi fazer xuê, xuá Xuê, xuê, xuê, xuá eu ouvi fazer, xuê, xuá Lá na mata escura, o galo cacarejou Nessa roda mandigueira o jogo arrepiou Ole-le-ô o jogo arrepiou Ole-le-ô o jogo arrepiou, macá Quebra la mi cumugê, macá (Quebra milho como gente, macaco) This is one of the onomatopoeic lyrics when the grammatical form of the words are completely distorted to sound good with the music. “Quebra milho como gente, macaco“ means exactly break corn like people, macaque. However, “quebra la mi cumugê, macá“ doesn't mean anything.
***
Oi sim, sim, sim, Oi não, não, não Oi sim, sim, sim, Oi não, não, não Mas hoje tem amanhã não, mas hoje tem amanha não Oi sim, sim, sim, Oi não, não, não Mas o facão bateu em baixo, comadre A banananeira caiu Mas o facao bateu em baixo, compadre
Band 8 CAPOEIRA MAGIA
Voice by Destino, kalimba (thumb piano) by Daniel Randolph, didjiridu by John Miguel, atabaque by Mestre Rã, xequerê and reco-reco by Bateria, and agogó and comments by Mestre Acordeon. In this song, we initially recorded atabaque, agogó and xequerê with a thumb piano played by Daniel Randolph, a musician that, once in a while, comes to our classes and plays with us. Later, I brought in John Miguel with his Didjiridu. The didjiridu is an Australian wind pipe made of Eucalyptus that was hollowed out by termites. It is a traditional instrument called Yidarki in its original tongue. It symbolizes the penis in a story about fertility. My original plan was to play berimbau along with the other instruments. Well, I tried the berimbau and it did not work. My voice-over says:
“Capoeira é uma arte mágica. Suas raizes estão fincadas no solo da mãe Africa como raizes de um baobá gigante, plantada pelos orixas para absorver o legado de ancestrais distantes“. This means: Capoeira is a magical art. Its roots are deep in the soil of Mother Africa like the roots of a gigantic baobá tree, laid down by the Orixás to absorb the legacy of distant ancestors. Destino’s voice came about so beautifully, as an encompassing experiment of interaction with these instruments and my own voice. However, I took my voice out. It did not stand up to the power of my fellow musicians.
