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.
Holandesa Co Certeza
Cesária Évora Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ta lutá vida sem s'berba
Quem qu'ê culpóde sês ca tem verba
P'ês bá tambem pá estranger
Trabaiá na largueza
Qu'ê p'ês largá saia d'amdjer
Nôs é Holandesa co certeza
Quem qu'ê culpóde sês ca tem verba
P'ês bá tambem pá estranger
Trabaiá na largueza
Qu'ê p'ês largá saia d'amdjer
Rodiá um correntim na dedo
E puli ês rua de Soncente
Sô ta criticá na vida d'gente
Espiá trabóie d'home ta fazês mede
Rodiá um correntim na dedo
E puli ês rua de Soncente
Sô ta criticá na vida d'gente
Espiá trabóie d'home ta fazês mede
Oh Deus sê da's um manera
P'ês folgá bónque ess paridinha
P'ês t'má um sossêgo na sês vidinha
P'ês podê tchá d'falá asnera
P'ês oiá que 'um próte bafóde
Ma d'tude manera el é trabaióde
Oh Deus sê da's um manera
P'ês folgá bónque ess paridinha
P'ês t'má um sossêgo na sês vidinha
P'ês podê tchá d'falá asnera
P'ês oiá que 'um próte bafóde
Ma d'tude manera el é trabaióde
Rodiá um correntim na dedo
E puli ês rua de Soncente
Sô ta criticá na vida d'gente
Espiá trabóie d'home ta fazês mede
Rodiá um correntim na dedo
E puli ês rua de Soncente
Sô ta criticá na vida d'gente
Espiá trabóie d'home ta fazês mede
...
Nôs é Holandesa co certeza
Ta lutá vida sem s'berba
Quem qu'ê culpóde sês ca tem verba
P'ês bá tambem pá estranger
Trabaiá na largueza
Qu'ê p'ês largá saia d'amdjer
Oh Deus sê da's um manera
P'ês folgá bónque ess paridinha
P'ês t'má um sossêgo na sês vidinha
P'ês podê tchá d'falá asnera
P'ês oiá que 'um próte bafóde
Ma d'tude manera el é trabaióde
Rodiá um correntim na dedo
E puli ês rua de Soncente
Sô ta criticá na vida d'gente
Espiá trabóie d'home ta fazês mede
Rodiá um correntim na dedo
E puli ês rua de Soncente
Sô ta criticá na vida d'gente
Espiá trabóie d'home ta fazês mede
Espiá trabóie d'home ta fazês mede
Espiá trabóie d'home ta fazês mede...
The song "Holandesa Co Certeza" by Cesária Évora is about a group of Cape Verdean women who have migrated to Holland in search of a better life. These women work hard and struggle to make ends meet, but they are determined to succeed despite their difficult circumstances. The lyrics mention a woman who walks around with a chain on her finger, most likely symbolizing the burden of poverty that she carries with her. The women in the song also observe the lives of others and criticize those who do not work hard enough, because they understand the value of hard work and its importance in creating a better life.
The chorus repeats the phrase "Nôs é Holandesa co certeza," which means "We are definitely Dutch." This phrase reflects the idea that the women have made Holland their home and are proud to have assimilated into Dutch culture. The song ends with a plea to God to give the women a break and the opportunity to relax and enjoy their lives without worrying about money. The final line of the song reminds us that although the women work hard, they are still human and deserve a chance to rest and have fun.
Line by Line Meaning
Nôs é Holandesa co certeza
We are Dutch, that's for sure
Ta lutá vida sem s'berba
We struggle through life without money
Quem qu'ê culpóde sês ca tem verba
Who can blame us for not having money
P'ês bá tambem pá estranger
To go abroad as well
Trabaiá na largueza
Work in comfort
Qu'ê p'ês largá saia d'amdjer
To leave behind traditional gender roles
Rodiá um correntim na dedo
To wear a ring on the finger
E puli ês rua de Soncente
And stroll the streets of Soncente
Sô ta criticá na vida d'gente
Only criticizing people's lives
Espiá trabóie d'home ta fazês mede
Spying on men's work to measure
Oh Deus sê da's um manera
Oh God, give us a break
P'ês folgá bónque ess paridinha
To enjoy the fruits of our labor
P'ês t'má um sossêgo na sês vidinha
To have some peace in our lives
P'ês podê tchá d'falá asnera
To be able to speak freely without foolishness
P'ês oiá que 'um próte bafóde
To see that a hard worker is also blessed
Ma d'tude manera el é trabaióde
But in any case, he is a hard worker
Espiá trabóie d'home ta fazês mede
Spying on men's work to measure
Espiá trabóie d'home ta fazês mede
Spying on men's work to measure
Nôs é Holandesa co certeza
We are Dutch, that's for sure
Ta lutá vida sem s'berba
We struggle through life without money
Quem qu'ê culpóde sês ca tem verba
Who can blame us for not having money
P'ês bá tambem pá estranger
To go abroad as well
Trabaiá na largueza
Work in comfort
Qu'ê p'ês largá saia d'amdjer
To leave behind traditional gender roles
Oh Deus sê da's um manera
Oh God, give us a break
P'ês folgá bónque ess paridinha
To enjoy the fruits of our labor
P'ês t'má um sossêgo na sês vidinha
To have some peace in our lives
P'ês podê tchá d'falá asnera
To be able to speak freely without foolishness
P'ês oiá que 'um próte bafóde
To see that a hard worker is also blessed
Ma d'tude manera el é trabaióde
But in any case, he is a hard worker
Rodiá um correntim na dedo
To wear a ring on the finger
E puli ês rua de Soncente
And stroll the streets of Soncente
Sô ta criticá na vida d'gente
Only criticizing people's lives
Espiá trabóie d'home ta fazês mede
Spying on men's work to measure
Rodiá um correntim na dedo
To wear a ring on the finger
E puli ês rua de Soncente
And stroll the streets of Soncente
Sô ta criticá na vida d'gente
Only criticizing people's lives
Espiá trabóie d'home ta fazês mede
Spying on men's work to measure
Contributed by Landon G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.