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.
Dor Di Amor
Cesária Évora Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Be careful because the pain of love is just like rain
It falls to the ground - a new plant is born
Be careful because the pain of love has no calling
Be careful because the pain of love is just like rain
It falls to the ground - a new plant is born
Fool it, confuse it
And refuse to answer
I have shame
But should life ask you about me
Fool it, confuse it
And refuse to answer
I have shame of living
Loving by suffering
Living out the pain of loving
Living out of the pain of love
Be careful because the pain of love has no calling
Be careful because the pain of love is just like rain
It falls to the ground - a new plant is born
Be careful because the pain of love has no calling
Be careful because the pain of love is just like rain
It falls to the ground - a new plant is born
But should life ask you about me
Fool it, confuse it
And refuse to answer
I'm ashamed of of loving
But should life ask you about me
Fool it, confuse it
And refuse to answer
I'm ashamed of of loving
Loving by suffering
Living out the pain of loving
Living out of the pain of love
Cesária Évora's song "Dor Di Amor" is a ballad about the pain of love. The song's lyrics caution against the dangers of love, warning that the pain it brings has no signal, and it's like a rain that falls to the ground, creating a new life form. The singer advises the listener to be careful when embracing love as it can cause unbearable pain when things fall apart. If life should inquire about the singer, she advises to mislead and refuse to answer because of shame. The song describes the heartbreak and humiliation that loving causes, forcing one to live in the agony of their love.
The song reflects the Cape Verdean culture, which Cesária Évora represents, where love is viewed as dangerous and potentially very unpredictable. It's a mournful song that acknowledges the heartbreak that loving can bring, topped with an essential moral warning to the listener. The lines "fool it, confuse it and refuse to answer" express a sense of betrayal, broken promises, and illusions that come with loving.
"Dor Di Amor" is a powerful song that speaks to the universal theme of love, pain, and heartbreak. Cesária Évora's delicate voice creates a reflective, melancholy atmosphere that is both soothing and heart-wrenching. Her soulful singing and intelligent interpretation of the lyrics make this song a masterpiece.
Line by Line Meaning
Be careful because the pain of love has no calling
Be cautious because the agony of love is unpredictable and unannounced
Be careful because the pain of love is just like rain
Be cautious because the agony of love is inevitable and can come suddenly
It falls to the ground - a new plant is born
Just as the rain nurtures a new plant to life, the pain of love can birth a new love or a new beginning
But should life ask you about me
In case you're asked about me by anyone
Fool it, confuse it
Trick them, baffle them
And refuse to answer
And do not give any response
I have shame
I feel ashamed
Loving by suffering
Giving and receiving love while enduring the pain it brings
Living out the pain of loving
Continuing to live with the burden of loving
Living out of the pain of love
Living one's life while being influenced by the pain of love
Contributed by Matthew C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Intermezzo
Be careful because the pain of love has no calling
Be careful because the pain of love is just like rain
It falls to the ground - a new plant is born
Be careful because the pain of love has no calling
Be careful because the pain of love is just like rain
It falls to the ground - a new plant is born
But should life ask you about me
Fool it, confuse it
And refuse to answer
I have shame
But should life ask you about me
Fool it, confuse it
And refuse to answer
I have shame of living
Loving by suffering
Living out the pain of loving
Living out of the pain of love
Be careful because the pain of love has no calling
Be careful because the pain of love is just like rain
It falls to the ground - a new plant is born
Be careful because the pain of love has no calling
Be careful because the pain of love is just like rain
It falls to the ground - a new plant is born
But should life ask you about me
Fool it, confuse it
And refuse to answer
I'm ashamed of of loving
But should life ask you about me
Fool it, confuse it
And refuse to answer
I'm ashamed of of loving
Loving by suffering
Living out the pain of loving
Living out of the pain of love
sonia margarita herrera de rueda
Recién descubro esta tremenda mujer, su voz y sentimiento. Estoy fascinada con su historia de vida, su voz tan dulce y melodiosa, como pocas. q.e.p.d
Intermezzo
Be careful because the pain of love has no calling
Be careful because the pain of love is just like rain
It falls to the ground - a new plant is born
Be careful because the pain of love has no calling
Be careful because the pain of love is just like rain
It falls to the ground - a new plant is born
But should life ask you about me
Fool it, confuse it
And refuse to answer
I have shame
But should life ask you about me
Fool it, confuse it
And refuse to answer
I have shame of living
Loving by suffering
Living out the pain of loving
Living out of the pain of love
Be careful because the pain of love has no calling
Be careful because the pain of love is just like rain
It falls to the ground - a new plant is born
Be careful because the pain of love has no calling
Be careful because the pain of love is just like rain
It falls to the ground - a new plant is born
But should life ask you about me
Fool it, confuse it
And refuse to answer
I'm ashamed of of loving
But should life ask you about me
Fool it, confuse it
And refuse to answer
I'm ashamed of of loving
Loving by suffering
Living out the pain of loving
Living out of the pain of love
hadjihawaie
your translation gave an extra dimention to this wonderful music for me, tnx
Chris Morehouse
Irreplaceable. A legacy of glorious music. Thank you so much, from fans in the US.
Gilda Brito
Simplesmente Cizé descanse em paz diva
geninha57
ESTA É UMA ALMA ETERNA. PERMANECERÁ NA NOSSA MEMÓRIA. VOZ INEGUALÁVEL! SAUDADES ENORMES DESTA DIVA!
João Lima
Maravilhosa !!!
Luiz Fernando
Que voz! Amo Cesária Évora!
Boni Marcolino
Cesária évola??? você é a Rainha da música!!!!!!!!!!!
Ragazzabellape
Sou apaixonada por suas músicas.... Todas perfeitas