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.
Modje Trofel
Cesária Évora Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Insóce ne linga, picod n'espirte
Cold de pove é féte d'miudeza
Porquê cocha é pa nobreza
Ta um modje trofél esse dia d'hoje
Insóce ne linga, picod n'espirte
Cold de pove é féte d'miudeza
Calma colá coladera é sabe na dvera
Calma colá coladera é sabe na dvera
Calma colá coladera é sabe na dvera
Quel incmenda de Franca é dret pa renda
Quel prenda de fama é pa panela
Quel incmenda de Franca é dret pa renda
Quel prenda de fama é pa panela
Calma colá coladera é sabe na dvera
Calma colá coladera t'uni diférenca
Ta um modje trofél esse dia d'hoje
Insóce ne linga, picod n'espirte
Cold de pove é féte d'miudeza
Porquê cocha é pa nobreza
D'pôs de trocá d'prima
Nô ta regá corpe
Cum coladera sem brincadera
D'pôs de trocá d'prima
Nô ta regá corpe
Cum coladera sem brincadera
Calma colá coladera é sabe na dvera
Calma colá coladera é sabe na dvera
Calma colá coladera é sabe na dvera
Calma colá coladera t'uni diférenca
Calma colá coladera é sabe na dvera
Calma colá coladera é sabe na dvera
D'pôs de trocá d'prima
Nô ta regá corpe
Cum coladera sem brincadera
D'pôs de trocá d'prima
Nô ta regá corpe
Cum coladera sem brincadera
Calma colá coladera é sabe na dvera
Calma colá coladera t'uni diférenca
Calma colá coladera é sabe na dvera
Calma colá coladera t'uni diférenca
Calma colá coladera é sabe na dvera
Calma colá coladera t'uni diférenca
Calma colá coladera é sabe na dvera
Calma colá coladera t'uni diférenca
The song "Modje Trofel" by Cesária Évora is a classic example of Cape Verdean coladeira, a musical style characterized by its lively and upbeat rhythm. The lyrics tell of the struggles of the poor, who are often relegated to a life of smallness and meanness because wealth and luxury are reserved for the nobility. The refrain "calma colá coladera é sabe na dvera" ("just calm down and dance coladeira, you'll feel the difference") encourages listeners to find joy and release through dancing, even in the midst of difficult circumstances.
The verses also make reference to the influence of French culture and the desire for fame and recognition, which are seen as commodities to be acquired and used for personal gain. However, the emphasis remains on the simplicity of life and the ability to find meaning and happiness in everyday activities, such as dancing the coladeira.
Overall, the song is a celebration of Cape Verdean identity and resilience in the face of social and economic challenges, and a testament to the power of music and dance to uplift the human spirit.
Line by Line Meaning
Ta um modje trofél esse dia d'hoje
Today is a difficult day
Insóce ne linga, picod n'espirte
People are in a bad mood and easily angered
Cold de pove é féte d'miudeza
Poverty is a source of humiliation
Porquê cocha é pa nobreza
Only the rich can live comfortably
Calma colá coladera é sabe na dvera
Calmly playing the coladera (Cape Verdean music style) means playing it with authenticity
Quel incmenda de Franca é dret pa renda
French products are expensive
Quel prenda de fama é pa panela
Famous things are for show and not for practical use
Calma colá coladera t'uni diférenca
Playing the coladera calmly unites people of different backgrounds
D'pôs de trocá d'prima
After changing the beat
Nô ta regá corpe
We start to move our bodies
Cum coladera sem brincadera
Playing the coladera seriously
Calma colá coladera t'uni diférenca
Playing the coladera calmly unites people of different backgrounds
Calma colá coladera é sabe na dvera
Calmly playing the coladera (Cape Verdean music style) means playing it with authenticity
Calma colá coladera t'uni diférenca
Playing the coladera calmly unites people of different backgrounds
Calma colá coladera t'uni diférenca
Playing the coladera calmly unites people of different backgrounds
Calma colá coladera t'uni diférenca
Playing the coladera calmly unites people of different backgrounds
Calma colá coladera t'uni diférenca
Playing the coladera calmly unites people of different backgrounds
Contributed by Anna J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Cortés Efrain
La vejez es un estorbo para la creatividad pero no puede aplastar mi espíritu juvenil.
Rembrandt