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.
Homem Na Meio Di' Homem
Cesária Évora Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You'll be my son one day
Just watch your place
Follow your way into the light
To enter manhood
Without fear or apprehension
Ah! pain is a dead certainty
But happiness does exist
A man on man's earth
Having faith in mankind
Thinks of the good of this world
Build up your own destiny
Help your fortune to triumph
In your life's journey
Ah! only a man of faith
Can create a new world
Ah! only a world full of faith
Can generate a new man
A man amongst men
One day, you'll be my son
Watch only the good of this world
Follow your way into the light
To enter manhood
Without fear or apprehension
Ah! pain is a dead certainty
But happiness does exist
Ah! only a man of faith
Can create a new world
Ah! only a world full of faith
Can generate a new man
Ah! only a man of faith
Can create a new world
Ah! only a world full of faith
Can generate a new man
Ah! only a man of faith
Can create a new world
Ah! only a world full of faith
The song "Homem Na Meio Di' Homem" by Cesária Évora is a beautiful ballad of encouragement and empowerment, with a strong focus on the value of faith and determination in achieving one's goals. The song is essentially a message to a young man, who the singer hopes to see become a strong and successful individual in the future. As the song progresses, Cesária conveys several key points about how one can achieve success in life, including the need to have faith in oneself and others, to think about the greater good of the world, and to strive tirelessly towards one's goals.
The song starts by addressing the young man directly and she calls him "a man amongst men". This shows how the singer believes that this young man has great potential to achieve great things and be successful in life. Cesária encourages him to stay focused, watch his place, and follow his way into the light, emphasizing the need to enter manhood without fear or apprehension because pain is a dead certainty but happiness exists. In the second verse, Cesária urges the young man to have faith in mankind and build up his own destiny by helping his fortune to triumph.
The refrain is repeated three times throughout the song and is a powerful message about the importance of faith in creating a new world and a new man. Cesária believes that only a man of faith can create a new world, and that the world needs faith in order to generate a new man. Ultimately, the song is a heartfelt message of hope, encouragement, and empowerment, and its gentle melody and inspiring lyrics have made it a beloved classic among fans of Cape Verdean music.
Line by Line Meaning
A man amongst men
Being a man among other men
You'll be my son one day
Someday, you will be someone who I will consider as my own child
Just watch your place
Be aware of where you belong and do not overstep or underestimate yourself
Follow your way into the light
Find your path towards enlightenment and follow it
To enter manhood
To become a mature and responsible man
Without fear or apprehension
Without any anxiety or hesitation
Ah! pain is a dead certainty
Pain is an inevitable part of life
But happiness does exist
But there is still happiness and joy to be found in life
A man on man's earth
A man living in this world, among other men
Having faith in mankind
Believing in the goodness of humanity
Thinks of the good of this world
Focusing on the positive things in the world
Build up your own destiny
Creating your own future
Help your fortune to triumph
Assisting your luck to succeed
In your life's journey
Throughout your lifetime
Ah! only a man of faith
Only someone who truly believes and has faith
Can create a new world
Has the power to create a better world
Can generate a new man
Has the ability to bring forth a better version of oneself
Contributed by Michael N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Haim Elghanayan
many years ago i heard her singing somewhere her song sodade. i was like hypnotize by her voice. but i didn't know who was the singer with the fantastic voice. not until a wile ago as i discovered her on youtube......since than i listen to her playlist almost every day. thank you so much for sharing this great voice with the public.!!! G-D bless you man!!!!!
zlajaijc
what a beautiful song, thanks for upload
zito andrade
83gemis, obrigado por isso é fantastico . cabo verde------->cesaria-------> mundo
Vladimir Vasilchenko
best