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.
Rogamar
Cesária Évora Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Na meio de baía
Na odisseia di cada dia
Proa ta bá,proa ta bem
Naquel mat olte
Tude gente ta guentá
Tude gente ta rogá Virgem Maria
Pegá, pegá Santa Barba
Pegá, pegá Santa Barba
Povo das ilhas
É um povo de marinher
Ma é sô pa viajá longe
Mode nôs mar é n'ê brincadera
El tem estória
Na sê glória
Mar d'sodade qu'ta sépará-no
Mar amigo qui ta uni-no
Mar qui ta levá-no
Mar qui ta trazê-no
Naquel barquim
Na momento d'quel onda grande
Tude gente ta pô ta creditá
Qu'mar é fête sô pa pêxe
Sô pa pêxe e pescador
Rogá, rogá Virgem Maria
Pegá, pegá Santa Barba
(Rogá, rogá Virgem Maria)
(Pegá, pegá Santa Barba)
...
Povo das ilhas
É um povo de marinher
Ma é sô pa viajá longe
Mode nôs mar é n'ê brincadera
El tem estória
Na sê glória
Mar d'sodade qu'ta sépará-no
Mar amigo qui ta uni-no
Mar qui ta levá-no
Mar qui ta trazê-no
Naquel barquim
Na momento d'quel onda grande
Tude gente ta pô ta creditá
Qu'mar é fête sô pa pêxe
Sô pa pêxe e pescador
Rogá, rogá Virgem Maria
Pegá, pegá Santa Barba
(Rogá, rogá Virgem Maria)
(Pegá, pegá Santa Barba)
(Rogá, rogá Virgem Maria)
(Pegá, pegá Santa Barba)
Rogá, rogá Virgem Maria
Pegá, pegá Santa Barba
(Rogá, rogá Virgem Maria)
(Pegá, pegá Santa Barba)
Rogá, rogá Virgem Maria
Pegá, pegá Santa Barba
(Rogá, rogá Virgem Maria)
(Pegá, pegá Santa Barba)
Rogá, rogá Virgem Maria
Pegá, pegá Santa Barba
(Rogá, rogá Virgem Maria)
(Pegá, pegá Santa Barba)
Rogá, rogá Virgem Maria
Pegá, pegá Santa Barba
The lyrics of Cesária Évora's "Rogamar" speak to the struggles and uncertainties that come with the life of a fisherman. The chorus, "Rogá, rogá Virgem Maria, Pegá, pegá Santa Barba," which translates to "Pray, pray to the Virgin Mary, catch, catch Saint Barbara," is a plea for protection and good fortune on the high seas. The verses describe the challenges that fishermen face - the turbulence of the waves, the danger of big storms, and the comforting power of belief.
The song also touches on the cultural identity of island peoples as being deeply intertwined with the sea, and the importance of storytelling in preserving their history and traditions. Évora's voice, with its husky rasp and emotional depth, brings out the mournful quality of the song, which speaks to the sorrow that comes with a life at sea.
Overall, "Rogamar" is a poignant reminder of the realities of life for many who rely on the sea for their livelihood, and the hope and faith that keep them going in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Quel barquin ta balancá
That boat is rocking
Na meio de baía
In the middle of the bay
Na odisseia di cada dia
In the daily odyssey
Proa ta bá,proa ta bem
Bow goes up, bow goes down
Naquel mat olte
On that high sea
Tude gente ta guentá
Everyone is holding on
Tude gente ta rogá Virgem Maria
Everyone is praying to the Virgin Mary
Pegá, pegá Santa Barba
Take, take Saint Barbara
Povo das ilhas
People of the islands
É um povo de marinher
They are a people of sailors
Ma é sô pa viajá longe
But they only travel far
Mode nôs mar é n'ê brincadera
Because our sea is not a toy
El tem estória
It has a story
Na sê glória
In its glory
Mar d'sodade qu'ta sépará-no
Sea of longing that separates us
Mar amigo qui ta uni-no
Friendly sea that unites us
Mar qui ta levá-no
Sea that takes us
Mar qui ta trazê-no
Sea that brings us
Naquel barquim
In that small boat
Na momento d'quel onda grande
In that moment of the big wave
Tude gente ta pô ta creditá
Everyone is putting their faith
Qu'mar é fête sô pa pêxe
That the sea is only for fishing
Sô pa pêxe e pescador
Only for fish and fishermen
Rogá, rogá Virgem Maria
Pray, pray to the Virgin Mary
Pegá, pegá Santa Barba
Take, take Saint Barbara
Contributed by Max E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.