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.
Petit Pays
Cesária Évora Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ki catá brilha
Li na mar bô é um areia
Ki catá moja
Espaiote nesse munde fora
Sô rotcha e mar
Terra pobre chei di amor
Terra sabe chei di amor
Tem batuco tem funaná
Espaiote nesse munde fora
Sô rotcha e mar
Terra pobre chei di amor
Tem morna tem coladera
Terra pobre chei di amor
Tem batuco tem funaná
Oi tonte sodade sodade sodade
Oi tonte sodade sodade sem fim
Oi tonte sodade sodade sodade
Oi tonte sodade sodade sem fim
La na céu bo é um estrela
Ki catá brilha
Li na mar bô é um areia
Ki catá moja
Espaiote nesse munde fora
Sô rotcha e mar
Terra pobre chei di amor
Tem morna tem coladera
Terra sabe chei di amor
Tem batuco tem funaná
Espaiote nesse munde fora
Sô rotcha e mar
Terra pobre chei di amor
Tem morna tem coladera
Terra pobre chei di amor
Tem batuco tem funaná
Petit pays je t'aime beaucoup
Petit petit je l'aime beaucoup
Petit pays je t'aime beaucoup
Petit petit je l'aime beaucoup
The song "Petit Pays" by Cesaria Evora is a beautiful tribute to Cape Verde, a small archipelago nation off the coast of West Africa. The lyrics speak to the love and beauty of the land and people of Cape Verde. The opening lines, "La na céu bo é um estrela, Ki catá brilha, Li na mar bô é um areia, Ki catá moja" (Up in the sky, you are a star, That shines down on us, And in the sea, you are sand, That gets wet with the waves) set the tone for the rest of the song, which celebrates the natural beauty of the island.
The verses go on to describe how the people of Cape Verde live their lives in a world surrounded by mountains and sea, but despite their humble surroundings, they are rich in love and culture. "Espaiote nesse munde fora, Sô rotcha e mar, Terra pobre chei di amor, Tem morna tem coladera, Terra sabe chei di amor, Tem batuco tem funaná" (Rocks and sea surround us here, In this world that’s so far and wide, A poor land, rich in love, With the mournful morna, The hot coladera, The thrilling batuco, And the lively funaná).
The refrain of the song, "Oi tonte sodade sodade sodade, Oi tonte sodade sodade sem fim" (Oh, such longing, longing, longing, Oh, such endless longing) speaks to the deep emotions that the people of Cape Verde feel for their homeland, no matter how far and wide they may wander. Overall, "Petit Pays" is a touching ode to a country rich in culture and history, but perhaps most importantly, rich in love.
Line by Line Meaning
La na céu bo é um estrela
Up there in the sky, you’re a star that shines
Ki catá brilha
That sparkles brightly
Li na mar bô é um areia
Down there in the sea, you’re the sand
Ki catá moja
That gets dampened
Espaiote nesse munde fora
Roaming around outside in this world
Sô rotcha e mar
Only with rock and sea
Terra pobre chei di amor
A poor land full of love
Tem morna tem coladera
It has morna and coladera
Terra sabe chei di amor
A knowledgeable land full of love
Tem batuco tem funaná
It has batuco and funaná
Oi tonte sodade sodade sodade
Oh endless longing, longing, longing
Oi tonte sodade sodade sem fim
Oh, endless longing, without end
Petit pays je t'aime beaucoup
Little country, I love you so much
Petit petit je l'aime beaucoup
Little little, I love it so much
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: FERNANDO DA CRUZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@hayatrustom6440
J aime beaucoup cette chanteuse.
Voix douce, mélodieuse, reposante, romantique...
Jusqu'à présent cette chanson m interpelle.
Que l artiste repose en paix, dans les lieux de rafraîchissement et de paix. 🙏🙏
@izoizala5275
Suis congolais de l'RDC j'aime maman cesria Evora surtout petit pays ma chanson préférée depuis j'étais petit
@michaelmely1472
Déjà tout petit je suivais cette musique et elle me touchait beaucoup et pourtant je ne connaissais pas qui chantait alors de redécouvrir sa en 2022 vraiment c'est un pure plaisir que de beau souvenirs d'enfance
Ave cesaria
@mrfranck904
2023 et j'ai eu cette forte envie d'écouter cette douce et si paisible musique.......Etant petit ca me bercait enormement
@ApparentlyGoogledislikesmyname
J'ai commence a ecouter sa musique juste un peux avant sa mort. J'voulais acheter des billets a un de ses derniers concerts qu'elle a du anuller... J'aurais tant aime la voir sur la scene. On est hereux de vivre dans un siecle ou l'on peut garder nos voix d'or pour les generations qui suivent.
@johnrickert5572
Vraiement, sans doute. Mais é bien necessaire communiquer à gente. É um trésor.
@vedghou
لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله
اللهم باسمك الذي لا يعلمه إلا أنت أسألك أن تفتح لي من خزائن رزقك ما يغنيني عن كل شيء
@colheitabeauty6666
2023🔥🔥🤍 et cette chanson 🎶 nous berce toujours 🥰 Repose en paix Madame la diva au pieds nus
@irenee800
Amazing song.. amazing video .. too much soul
@tchindegaelleclaude2112
reposes en Paix l'artiste