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.
Regresso
Cesária Évora Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
C'sé qu'és flá-bo pa flá
Nha fidjo és fláme
Bô ca mesté bem
Oiá mamãe
C'sé qu'és flá-bo pa flá
Nha fidjo és fláme
Cusê qu'ês flá-bo
Pá fla-me oh mamãe
Nha coração titá tchorá
Cheio di dor
Cusê qu'm ta fazê
Ou'ess afronta
Ondê qu'm titá bai
Ou'ess tristeza
Cusê qu'ês flá-bo
Pá fla-me oh mamãe
Nha coração titá tchorá
Cheio di dor
Cusê qu'm ta fazê
Ou'ess afronta
Ondê qu'm titá bai
Ou'ess tristeza
Bô ca mesté bem
Bô ca mesté bem
Bô ca mesté bem
Oiá mamãe
C'sé qu'és flá-bo pa flá
Nha fidjo és fláme
Bô ca mesté bem
Oiá mamãe
C'sé qu'és flá-bo pa flá
Nha fidjo és fláme
Bô ca mesté bem
Cusê qu'ês flá-bo
Pá fla-me oh mamãe
Nha coração titá tchorá
Cheio di dor
Cusê qu'm ta fazê
Ou'ess afronta
Ondê qu'm titá bai
Ou'ess tristeza
Cusê qu'ês flá-bo
Pá fla-me oh mamãe
Nha coração titá tchorá
Cheio di dor
Cusê qu'm ta fazê
Ou'ess afronta
Ondê qu'm titá bai
Ou'ess tristeza
Bô ca mesté bem
Bô ca mesté bem
Bô ca mesté bem
Bô ca mesté bem
Bô ca mesté bem
Bô ca mesté bem
Bô ca mesté bem
Bô ca mesté bem
Bô ca mesté bem
The song "Regresso" by Cesária Évora is sung in Cape Verdean Creole and explores the theme of homecoming and the mixed emotions that come with it. The lyrics are addressed to the singer's mother, who is told to "look at me" and "see that I am not well." The singer's heart is heavy with sadness and pain, but they do not know what to do or where to go to find relief. The repeated phrase "bô ca mesté bem" ("you're not doing well") suggests a sense of helplessness and resignation.
The verses repeat the same question, "Cusê qu'ês flá-bo pá fla-me?" ("What are you saying to me?"), conveying a sense of confusion and frustration. The singer is looking for answers, for someone to explain why they are feeling this way and what they should do about it. The use of Cape Verdean Creole adds a layer of cultural specificity and reinforces the sense of longing for home that runs throughout the song. The chorus, with its repeated phrase "bô ca mesté bem," serves as a sort of emotional anchor, reminding the singer and the listener that sometimes there are no easy answers to life's struggles.
Overall, "Regresso" is a poignant and affecting song that speaks to the universal experience of feeling lost and uncertain, while also capturing the unique cultural context of Cape Verdean identity.
Line by Line Meaning
Oiá mamãe
Hey Mom
C'sé qu'és flá-bo pa flá
I know I'm not good at talking
Nha fidjo és fláme
My child is burning
Bô ca mesté bem
You're not doing well
Cusê qu'ês flá-bo
What am I doing wrong
Pá fla-me oh mamãe
To tell me Mom
Nha coração titá tchorá
My heart is crying
Cheio di dor
Full of pain
Cusê qu'm ta fazê
What am I supposed to do
Ou'ess afronta
Where should I go
Ondê qu'm titá bai
What is this sadness
Ou'ess tristeza
Where should I look
Bô ca mesté bem
You're not doing well
Bô ca mesté bem
You're not doing well
Oiá mamãe
Hey Mom
C'sé qu'és flá-bo pa flá
I know I'm not good at talking
Nha fidjo és fláme
My child is burning
Bô ca mesté bem
You're not doing well
Cusê qu'ês flá-bo
What am I doing wrong
Pá fla-me oh mamãe
To tell me Mom
Nha coração titá tchorá
My heart is crying
Cheio di dor
Full of pain
Cusê qu'm ta fazê
What am I supposed to do
Ou'ess afronta
Where should I go
Ondê qu'm titá bai
What is this sadness
Ou'ess tristeza
Where should I look
Bô ca mesté bem
You're not doing well
Bô ca mesté bem
You're not doing well
Bô ca mesté bem
You're not doing well
Bô ca mesté bem
You're not doing well
Bô ca mesté bem
You're not doing well
Bô ca mesté bem
You're not doing well
Bô ca mesté bem
You're not doing well
Bô ca mesté bem
You're not doing well
Bô ca mesté bem
You're not doing well
Contributed by Callie G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@louish2250
Oiá mamãe
C'sé qu'és flá-bo pa flá
Nha fidjo és fláme
Bô ca mesté bem
Cusê qu'ês flá-b pá fla-me oh mamãe
Nha coração titá tchorá cheio di dor
Cusê qu'm ta fazê qu'ess afronta
Ondê qu'm ti tá bai qu'ess tristeza
Bô ca mesté bem
Bô ca mesté bem
Bô ca mesté bem
@punkqueentheresa
I love listening to Cesaria Evora. She has some great music!
@javierst7474
The most sweet voice of a woman singing in the world, I always think about drinking a good coffee
@javiervarelarodrigue
Eu também gosto muito da versão de Regresso que faz Tito Paris
@solangetavares6068
Escutar Cesária esta hora da noite e Tudo de bom.Queria muito Te la Conhecido.Sua voz é só Ternura.❤❤❤🙌🙌🙌😘
@Iridescence7770
that clarinet player,!! he deserves credit
@user-qq3di7tx2g
яка чудова пiсня!
@gentilgentil6030
Exuberante Voz da Africa, que partiu antes do combinado, nos deixando orfaos. 8.55 sexta 04/08/2023 Jd. Itu Porto Alegre RS Brasil
@missasinenomine
I love this song. Haven't a clue what the words mean though. Bocha misch tibi? Love the trumpet thingy.
@fabianosalvalai5740
You make my day
@sallesenjoy
Tem alguns problemas de áudio nesse vídeo, infelizmente... exemplo : 00:10