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.
Monte Cara
Cesária Évora Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Senhor São Vicente num cálice aventurod
Bô é brisa fresca e na prima dum violão
D'Baía à Saragaça
D'Morada à Salamansa
Bô é ilha cretcheu
E óh Mindel q'criol bô é
E d'Santa Cruz 'm ta colá num da Cruz
Senhor São Vicente
Se bô tem um pilom pa cutchi midje
Bô tem Monte Cara pa namorá
Bô tem Porto Grande pa maravilha
Q'nota 'm ta tocób e q'tinta 'm ta pintób
Senhor São Vicente num cálice aventurod
Bô é brisa fresca e na prima dum violão
D'Baía à Saragaça
D'Morada à Salamansa
Bô é ilha cretcheu
E óh Mindel q'criol bô é
Mi é carnaval mi é São Silvestre
E d'Santa Cruz 'm ta colá num da Cruz
Senhor São Vicente
Se bô tem um pilom pa cutchi midje
Bô tem Monte Cara pa namorá
Bô tem Porto Grande pa maravilha
The lyrics to Cesária Évora's song Monte Cara pay homage to the island of São Vicente, one of the ten volcanic islands that make up the Cape Verde archipelago. The opening lines "Q'nota 'm ta tocób e q'tinta 'm ta pintób" and "Senhor São Vicente num cálice aventurod" celebrate the island's vibrant cultural scene, with "Q'nota" referring to the rhythms and beats of the music, and "q'tinta" referring to the colors of the island's scenery. The mention of "cálice aventurod" suggests a festive and adventurous spirit.
The song then continues to describe the island's natural beauty, with the lyrics "Bô é brisa fresca e na prima dum violão" (You are a fresh breeze and the first note of a guitar), and lists various locations on the island, such as "D'Baía à Saragaça, D'Morada à Salamansa". The repetition of "Bô é ilha cretcheu" (You are a beautiful island) throughout the song emphasizes the love and admiration the singer has for São Vicente.
The lyrics also celebrate the people and the culture of the island, with references to the annual Carnival and São Silvestre celebrations, as well as the religious festival of Santa Cruz. The final lines "Senhor São Vicente / Se bô tem um pilom pa cutchi midje / Bô tem Monte Cara pa namorá / Bô tem Porto Grande pa maravilha" highlight two of the island's main attractions - Monte Cara, a volcanic mountain that provides a picturesque backdrop to the city of Mindelo, and the natural harbor of Porto Grande, which has made the island an important center of trade and commerce.
Overall, the lyrics to Monte Cara celebrate the rich history, culture, and natural beauty of the island of São Vicente, and express the singer's deep love and appreciation for it.
Line by Line Meaning
Q'nota 'm ta tocób e q'tinta 'm ta pintób
I hear the sound of music and see the colors of paintings
Senhor São Vicente num cálice aventurod
The adventurous drink of the people from São Vicente
Bô é brisa fresca e na prima dum violão
You are a fresh breeze and the first note of a guitar
D'Baía à Saragaça
From Baía to Saragaça
D'Morada à Salamansa
From Morada to Salamansa
Bô é ilha cretcheu
You are an island with a rich history
E óh Mindel q'criol bô é
Oh Mindelo, you are a true criollo
Mi é carnaval mi é São Silvestre
You are both carnival and the feast of São Silvestre
E d'Santa Cruz 'm ta colá num da Cruz
And in Santa Cruz, we hang out at the cross
Senhor São Vicente
People of São Vicente
Se bô tem um pilom pa cutchi midje
If you have a hairpin to fix your hair
Bô tem Monte Cara pa namorá
You also have Monte Cara to admire
Bô tem Porto Grande pa maravilha
And you have Porto Grande for wonder
Contributed by Sophia K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.