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.
Rotcha 'Scribida
Cesária Évora Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Um bá panha três caninha berde
See?onde um be? um co?cha Mam Bia
Um bai pa Rotcha ?Scribida
Um bá panha três caninha berde
See?onde um be? um co?cha Mam Bia
Oh mãe, Oh Mam Bia
Adeus nha mãe Mari da Cruz
Oh mãe, Oh mãe, Oh Mam Bia
Oh mãe, Oh Mam Bia
Adeus nha mãe Mari da Cruz
Conde m'tava ta sai
Mam Bia flome nha fidjo
Deus ta companhobe
Conde m'tava ta sai
Mam Bia flome nha fidjo
Deus ta companhobe
Oh povo, Oh povo sês bem spia
Oh povo sês bem spia
Mam bia cabode nêss mundo
Oh povo, Oh povo sês bem spia
Oh povo sês bem spia
Mam bia cabode nêss mundo
Oh mãe, Oh mãe, Oh Mam Bia
Oh mãe, Oh Mam Bia
Adeus nha mãe Mari da Cruz
Oh mãe, Oh mãe, Oh Mam Bia
Oh mãe, Oh Mam Bia
Adeus nha mãe Mari da Cruz
Conde m'tava ta sai
Mam Bia flome nha fidjo
Deus ta companhobe
Conde m'tava ta sai
Mam Bia flome nha fidjo
Deus ta companhobe
Oh povo, Oh povo sês bem spia
Oh povo sês bem spia
Mam bia cabode nêss mundo
Oh mãe, Oh mãe, Oh Mam Bia
Oh mãe, Oh Mam Bia
Adeus nha mãe Mari da Cruz
The lyrics of Cesaria Evora's "Rotcha 'Scribida" is a tribute song to the singer's late mother Mari da Cruz, who goes by the nickname Mam Bia. The song starts with the singer saying that she is going to Rotcha 'Scribida, a place in Cape Verde where her mother is buried. She mentions that she bought three green rum bottles, which is a common tradition in Cape Verde to bring to a burial site. The singer then reminisces of her mother, mentioning how she used to cook for her and how much she loved her.
The chorus of the song is a farewell to Mam Bia, with the singer saying goodbye to her mother and asking for God's protection over her. The song ends with a message to the people, telling them that Mam Bia has left this world but that they should remember her.
"Rotcha 'Scribida" is a deeply personal song, and the lyrics reflect the strong bond between a mother and her daughter. Cesaria Evora's voice enhances the emotional theme of the song as she brings out the pain and sorrow of losing a loved one. This song is yet another example of how Cesaria Evora could channel her emotions into her music, creating something that is both beautiful and touching.
Line by Line Meaning
Um bai pa Rotcha ?Scribida
I'm going to Rotcha ?Scribida
Um bá panha três caninha berde
I'm going to get three green canes
See?onde um be? um co?cha Mam Bia
You know where I'll be? At Mam Bia's
Oh mãe, Oh mãe, Oh Mam Bia
Mother, mother, Mam Bia
Adeus nha mãe Mari da Cruz
Goodbye, my mother Mari da Cruz
Conde m'tava ta sai
Where I was heading to go out
Mam Bia flome nha fidjo
Mam Bia raised her child
Deus ta companhobe
God is taking care of me
Oh povo, Oh povo sês bem spia
Oh people, you all see
Mam bia cabode nêss mundo
Mam Bia left this world
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CABRAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Veravlubov
Мне посчастливилось побывать на её концерте в Санкт-Петербурге. ❤
Конкретно эта песня посвящена маме.
Перевод песни:
Пошла я к Ротча Скрибида,
принести стебли тростника.
И тогда от нас ушла мама Биа.
Ой, мама, ой, мама Биа…
Ой, мама, мам Биа…
Прощай, мамочка, Мари да Круз.
А когда уходила я,
Мама Биа шепнула мне:
"Бог с тобой да пребудет".
Ой, люди, приходите помянуть,
Ой, люди, приходите увидеть
маму Биа в Царствии небесном.
(Перевод с португальского и креольского Андрея Травина)
@user-xi6mh3rm5t
Люблю всех, кто любит Сезарию Эвора. Oh, great Cesaria, sweet barefoot singer, love you, miss you, remember you, rest in peace!
@tiagombg
Mainha deu a nós o melhor vibe africano.
@markd6558
Nothing better than spending a few hours listening to her music! So relaxing! So beautiful!
@user-xi6mh3rm5t
Me too
@bogdankadziela4765
Talentu nie trzeba reklamować , z talentem trzeba się urodzić .
@moonflower2772
Hi i am from Turkey. Her voice her style grandoise . Velvet waves and vibrations through my mind and heart
@helgakraft2380
Wundervoll diese samtige Stimme und mit soviel Herz.
@laraundnanda
Die Texte und die wunderschöne Stimme gehen unter die Haut.
@user-zo2nu3rs2z
пробивает как, слезы наворачиваются.
@wanjakirigia4288
happy 78th Birthday Cesaria