Born on the 27th August 1941 in the port town of Mindelo, Cape Verde, on the island of São Vicente. Long known as the queen of the morna, a soulful genre (related to the Portuguese fado) sung in Creole-Portuguese, she mixed her sentimental folk tunes filled with longing and sadness with the acoustic sounds of guitar, cavaquinho, violin, accordion, and clarinet. Évora's Cape Verdean blues often spoke of the country's history of isolation and slave trade, as well as emigration; almost two-thirds of the million Cape Verdeans alive live abroad.
Évora's voice, a finely-tuned, melancholy instrument with a touch of hoarseness, highlighted her emotional phrasing by accenting a word or phrase. Even audiences who do not understand her language could be held spell-bound by the emotions evident in her performances.
In 2004 she won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album.
A heavy smoker for decades, Évora was diagnosed with heart problems in 2005. She suffered strokes in 2008 and in September 2011, when she announced she was retiring. She died at the age of seventy in São Vicente, Cape Verde on the 17th December 2011 from respiratory failure and hypertension. A Spanish newspaper reported that forty-eight hours before her death she was still receiving people in her home in Mindelo, popular for always having its doors open.
Direito Di Nasce
Cesária Évora Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dà-me nha direito di nascê
Pai quande 'm nascê
Dà-me nha direito di vivê
Fazê nos lar
Lugar mas sabe qu'tem na mundo
Fazê nh~infancia
'Judà-me crescê
Cu tudo amor e amizade
Dà-me'bô carinho e bô ternura
'O mae querida que Deus dà-me
Mae qu'tê' me na ventre
Dà-me nha direito di nascê
Pai quande 'm nascê
Dà-me nha direito di vivê
Fazê nos lar
Lugar mas sabe qu'tem na mundo
Fazê nh~infancia
Um jardim de felecidade
'Judà-me crescê
Cu tudo amor e amizade
Dà-me'bô carinho e bô ternura
'O mae querida que Deus dà-me
Dà-me leite d'bô peito sagrado
Mamae querida
Dà-me bô sustento bençoade
Papai querido
'Judà-me vivê nhas ilusao
Nhas fantasia
Mi qu'ê bsôte flor d'revoluçao
Mi qu'ê bsôte fruto d'alegria
Dà-me leite d'bô peito sagrado
Mamae querida
Dà-me bô sustento bençoade
Papai querido
'Judà-me vivê nhas ilusao
Nhas fantasia
Mi qu'ê bsôte flor d'revoluçao
Mi qu'ê bsôte fruto d'alegria
Mae qu'tê' me na ventre
Dà-me nha direito di nascê
Pai quande 'm nascê
Dà-me nha direito di vivê
Fazê nos lar
Lugar mas sabe qu'tem na mundo
Fazê nh~infancia
Um jardim de felecidade
'Judà-me crescê
Cu tudo amor e amizade
Dà-me'bô carinho e bô ternura
'O mae querida que Deus dà-me
Dà-me leite d'bô peito sagrado
Mamae querida
Dà-me bô sustento bençoade
Papai querido
'Judà-me vivê nhas ilusao
Nhas fantasia
Mi qu'ê bsôte flor d'revoluçao
Mi qu'ê bsôte fruto d'alegria
'Judà-me vivê nhas ilusao
Nhas fantasia
Mi qu'ê bsôte flor d'revoluçao
Mi qu'ê bsôte fruto d'alegria
…
The lyrics to Cesária Évora's song Direito Di Nasce are a heartfelt plea from a child to their parents for the right to be born and to live. The opening lines express gratitude to the mother for carrying the child in her womb and the father for granting the child the right to exist. The child then implores the parents to make their home the happiest place in the world, to create a childhood full of happiness and to help the child grow with love and friendship. The plea then turns to the parents to provide the child with the milk from the mother's sacred breast and the father's blessed support. The final verses celebrate the parents' role in helping the child blossom into a revolutionary flower and a fruit of joy.
The song is a poignant commentary on the importance of family, love and kindness in the life of a child. It is a reminder that every child has the right to be born, to live and to experience happiness. The simplicity of the lyrics and the haunting melody make it an unforgettable song that speaks directly to the soul.
Line by Line Meaning
Mae qu'tê' me na ventre
Mother, when I was in your womb
Dà-me nha direito di nascê
You gave me the right to be born
Pai quande 'm nascê
Father, when I was born
Dà-me nha direito di vivê
You gave me the right to live
Fazê nos lar
Make our home
Lugar mas sabe qu'tem na mundo
The place that knows the most in the world
Fazê nh~infancia
Make my childhood
Um jardim de felecidade
A garden of happiness
'Judà-me crescê
Help me grow
Cu tudo amor e amizade
With all love and friendship
Dà-me'bô carinho e bô ternura
Give me your love and tenderness
'O mae querida que Deus dà-me
Oh dear mother that God gave me
Dà-me leite d'bô peito sagrado
Give me milk from your sacred breast
Mamae querida
Beloved mother
Dà-me bô sustento bençoade
Give me your blessed sustenance
Papai querido
Beloved father
'Judà-me vivê nhas ilusao
Help me live my dreams
Nhas fantasia
My fantasies
Mi qu'ê bsôte flor d'revoluçao
I am your flower of revolution
Mi qu'ê bsôte fruto d'alegria
I am your fruit of joy
Mae qu'tê' me na ventre
Mother, when I was in your womb
Dà-me nha direito di nascê
You gave me the right to be born
Pai quande 'm nascê
Father, when I was born
Dà-me nha direito di vivê
You gave me the right to live
Fazê nos lar
Make our home
Lugar mas sabe qu'tem na mundo
The place that knows the most in the world
Fazê nh~infancia
Make my childhood
Um jardim de felecidade
A garden of happiness
'Judà-me crescê
Help me grow
Cu tudo amor e amizade
With all love and friendship
Dà-me'bô carinho e bô ternura
Give me your love and tenderness
'O mae querida que Deus dà-me
Oh dear mother that God gave me
Dà-me leite d'bô peito sagrado
Give me milk from your sacred breast
Mamae querida
Beloved mother
Dà-me bô sustento bençoade
Give me your blessed sustenance
Papai querido
Beloved father
'Judà-me vivê nhas ilusao
Help me live my dreams
Nhas fantasia
My fantasies
Mi qu'ê bsôte flor d'revoluçao
I am your flower of revolution
Mi qu'ê bsôte fruto d'alegria
I am your fruit of joy
'Judà-me vivê nhas ilusao
Help me live my dreams
Nhas fantasia
My fantasies
Mi qu'ê bsôte flor d'revoluçao
I am your flower of revolution
Mi qu'ê bsôte fruto d'alegria
I am your fruit of joy
Contributed by Adrian T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Anan Cara
Amo essa música, grande Cesária!
D-Neya Traiteur Franco portugais capverdienne
😔😢