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.
Fruto Proibido
Cesária Évora Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ma m'ca podê squêcé bô
Mi m'sabê ja'm m'peca
Desde dia m'conxê bô
Se crime alguem cré bo tcheu
Ja bô t'podê condenam
Bo olhar bo sorriso puxam
Longe de mi bo ti ta bai
Imagem querida que prendêm
Longe nha coraçon ja bai
Iflama na dor, dor di sodade
The Cesária Évora song "Fruto Proibido" addresses the difficult and complex emotions that can arise from forbidden love. The title translates to "Forbidden Fruit" which, in this context refers to a person who may be out of reach due to societal, cultural, or personal constraints. The first two lines, "Fruto proibido é bô / Ma m'ca podê squêcé bô" indicates the forbidden fruit, or the object of affection, is tempting but impossible to forget.
The following lines, "Mi m'sabê ja'm m'peca / Desde dia m'conxê bô" suggest that the singer is aware of their wrongdoing in loving the forbidden fruit, but unable to resist their attraction. The song also touches on the consequences of such love, with the line "Se crime alguem cré bo tcheu / Ja bô t'podê condenam" implying that the society or people around them may condemn them for their love.
The last two stanzas, "Longe de mi bo ti ta bai / Imagem querida que prendêm / Longe nha coraçon ja bai / Iflama na dor, dor di sodade" express the agony of separation and the overwhelming feeling of longing for the forbidden fruit. The singer is tortured by the image of their love leaving and the feeling of loss that consumes their heart.
Overall, "Fruto Proibido" captures the pain, struggle, and complexity of forbidden love, addressing universal themes that resonate with many individuals who have experienced similar emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Fruto proibido é bô
You are the forbidden fruit
Ma m'ca podê squêcé bô
But I cannot forget you
Mi m'sabê ja'm m'peca
I know that I am sinning
Desde dia m'conxê bô
Ever since the day I met you
Se crime alguem cré bo tcheu
If someone believes that you are a crime
Ja bô t'podê condenam
They will judge and condemn you
Bo olhar bo sorriso puxam
Your look, your smile, pull me to you
Pa bô fruto proibido
Towards your forbidden fruit
Longe de mi bo ti ta bai
Away from me, you must go
Imagem querida que prendêm
Your dear image that lingers
Longe nha coraçon ja bai
Is now far from my heart
Iflama na dor, dor di sodade
It ignites pain, the pain of longing
Writer(s): Amandio Cabral
Contributed by Bentley P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Regina Kato
Incomparable Cesaria❤
Regina Kato
Heavenly voice❤
Regina Kato
Divine emotions with Cesaria’s songs❤
Dominique Bala
Au top will always be in our hearts RIP 🙏 Cesaria Evora.
Ivone Piedade Silva
Linda Morna da nossa Diva❤
Мирослав Ницер
Magnific !!!!
Regina Kato
Superb❤
Boss zulu
Sweetness personified
Regina Kato
Cesaria is able to bring divine emotions with her songs❤
Sven Lima
!!