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.
Noiva De Ceu
Cesária Évora Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ta parcê
Pomba na mon.
N' ta nina'l
Pal ca sai ta voa.
Di pluma branca,
Lua cheia
N' ta nina'l
Pal ca sai ta voa.
Nha pombinha,
Branca,
Noiva di céu,
É um presente di nhor Deus.
Cu tudo carinho
N' ta guarda'l
Pa um vida inter.
Nha pombinha,
Branca,
Noiva di céu,
É um presente di nhor Deus.
Cu tudo carinho
N' ta guarda'l
Pa um vida inter.
Sinão
Dipôs ta rapendê
Tagarinha
Ta carregâ, ta lebâ
Mon na cabeça
Ta tchorâ
Castigo merecido.
Mon na cabeça
Ta tchorâ
Castigo merecido.
...
Nha pombinha,
Branca,
Noiva di céu,
É um presente di nhor Deus.
Cu tudo carinho
N' ta guarda'l
Pa um vida inter.
Nha pombinha,
Branca,
Noiva di céu,
É um presente di nhor Deus.
Cu tudo carinho
N' ta guarda'l
Pa um vida inter.
Sinão
Dipôs ta rapendê
Tagarinha
Ta carregâ, ta lebâ
Mon na cabeça
Ta tchorâ
Castigo merecido.
Mon na cabeça
Ta tchorâ
Castigo merecido.
Mon na cabeça
Ta tchorâ
Castigo merecido.
Mon na cabeça
Ta tchorâ
Castigo merecido.
Castigo merecido.
Castigo merecido.
Castigo merecido.
The song "Noiva De Ceu" by Cesária Évora talks about a white dove that seems to be a celestial being that blesses people with all its love and kindness, guarding them for a lifetime. The song describes the dove as a pure white dove, a bride of heaven, a gift from God. The singer talks about how she watches over her dove, with all the care, so that it can fly away safely. The dove is a symbol of hope, love, and protection.
In the second verse, the song takes a dark turn, and the mood shifts. It talks about how a young girl was punished for doing something wrong. She was made to carry and transport things on her head as a sort of forced labor. The singer stresses that this was a deserved punishment, and the girl deserves to cry for what she's done. Yet the dove still watches over her, maybe offering comfort and support.
Line by Line Meaning
Odja'l
Look at her
Ta parcê
She seems
Pomba na mon.
Like a dove in my soul.
N' ta nina'l
I'm nurturing her
Pal ca sai ta voa.
So that she can fly away.
Di pluma branca,
With white feathers
Lua cheia
Full moon
Na nha mon.
In my soul.
N' ta nina'l
I'm nurturing her
Pal ca sai ta voa.
So that she can fly away.
Nha pombinha,
My little dove,
Branca,
White,
Noiva di céu,
Bride of heaven,
É um presente di nhor Deus.
Is a gift from the Lord God.
Cu tudo carinho
With all love
N' ta guarda'l
I protect her
Pa um vida inter.
For an eternal life.
Sinão
Otherwise
Dipôs ta rapendê
Later they will understand
Tagarinha
Gossip
Ta carregâ, ta lebâ
Carried and spread
Mon na cabeça
In their heads
Ta tchorâ
They cry
Castigo merecido.
Deserved punishment.
Mon na cabeça
In their heads
Ta tchorâ
They cry
Castigo merecido.
Deserved punishment.
Mon na cabeça
In their heads
Ta tchorâ
They cry
Castigo merecido.
Deserved punishment.
Mon na cabeça
In their heads
Ta tchorâ
They cry
Castigo merecido.
Deserved punishment.
Castigo merecido.
Deserved punishment.
Castigo merecido.
Deserved punishment.
Contributed by Riley R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Rosa García Florian
Dejas siempre un sabor a miel...un aroma de flores...y una sensación de calma y placer el escuchar el dulce arrullo de tu voz...Inolvidable..Cesaria Evora..!!
modalmixture
Carinhoso e suave como uma brisa leve sobre as ilhas ensolaradas. Adoro o som daquele kabuverdianu doce.
Frank Ross
Cesaria, i love your music . i love the instruments you use . the guitar player and the cavaquinho player are great as is the percussionist. your rhythms are infectious ,and you are so close to the Brazilian music I so love. My mother was from Recife Brazil. God bless you , Cesaria.
HermanoAlegre
No dia 21 de março a Cesaria de novo estara em Kiev! Wow!!! Eu vou com certeza! :)
andreeab
I've just found this song today...and it really made my day! Thanks!
lew malta
Cesária Evora foi abençoada com o dom de fazer com que nos sintamos bem e felizes ao ouvi-la. Esteja bem.
Andreas Soemadi
I was over the Pacific ocean on my way to visit Indonesia from the US, when I heard her voice for the first time through the song of Rogamar. I love that haunting voice of that Cape Verdian, eversince,
Korneliusable
Rest in peace, thank you for your music - thank you for yourself
maria tabosa
é um espírito de luz. Continua brilhando. Nossos filhos, nossos netos, conhecerão Cesária. E a emoção será imensa. Sempre e mais.
María Eugenia Sánchez Cabezas
Nos deja una voz maravillosa. Gracias Cesaria por tu legado.