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.
Saiona D'Vinte Ano
Cesária Évora Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ja soma na cabeçada
Pal bem conta o k'el k'ouvi
Ma el ka conta kel palmada
K'es da sê filha Zizi
Saiona d'Vinte One
Ja soma na cabeçada
Ma el ka conta kel palmada
K'es da sê filha Zizi
Hora k'bô conta um conte
Conta-l tintin por tintin
Ka bô crescental um ponto
Pa-s ka levob pa Furtin
Hora k'bô conta um conte
Conta-l tintin por tintin
Ka bô crescental um ponto
Pa-s ka levob pa Furtin
Saiona d'Vinte One
Ja soma na cabeçada
Pal bem conta o k'el k'ouvi
Ma el ka conta kel palmada
K'es da sê filha Zizi
Saiona d'Vinte One
Ja soma na cabeçada
Pal bem conta o k'el k'ouvi
Ma el ka conta kel palmada
K'es da sê filha Zizi
Hora k'bô conta um conte
Conta-l tintin por tintin
Ka bô crescental um ponto
Pa-s ka levob pa Furtin
Hora k'bô conta um conte
Conta-l tintin por tintin
Ka bô crescental um ponto
Pa-s ka levob pa Furtin
Saiona d'Vinte One
Ja soma na cabeçada
Pal bem conta o k'el k'ouvi
Ma el ka conta kel palmada
K'es da sê filha Zizi
Hora k'bô conta um conte
Conta-l tintin por tintin
Ka bô crescental um ponto
Pa-s ka levob pa Furtin
Hora k'bô conta um conte
Conta-l tintin por tintin
Ka bô crescental um ponto
Pa-s ka levob pa Furtin
Hora k'bô conta um conte
Conta-l tintin por tintin
Ka bô crescental um ponto
Pa-s ka levob pa Furtin
Hora k'bô conta um conte
Conta-l tintin por tintin
Ka bô crescental um ponto
Pa-s ka levob pa Furtin
The lyrics to Cesária Évora's song Saiona D'Vinte Ano tell the story of a woman named Zizi and her daughter. The phrase "Saiona d'Vinte Ano" refers to a woman who has turned 20 years old, and the chorus repeats this phrase multiple times throughout the song. The verses describe a conversation between Zizi and someone who is trying to hear what she is saying. Zizi responds by saying that she will tell them what they want to know, but not the punishment that she gave to her daughter.
The song also includes a reference to a traditional Cape Verdean storytelling technique. When Zizi is asked to tell a story, she is instructed to "Conta-l tintin por tintin," which means to tell the story in great detail, leaving nothing out. She is also told to "Ka bô crescental um ponto pa-s ka levob pa Furtin," which means not to add anything to the story or else it will be taken to court. This highlights the importance of accuracy and honesty in storytelling within Cape Verdean culture.
Line by Line Meaning
Saiona d'Vinte One
Twenty-year-old Saiona
Ja soma na cabeçada
She's already in her head
Pal bem conta o k'el k'ouvi
She listens closely
Ma el ka conta kel palmada
But doesn't share everything she hears
K'es da sê filha Zizi
She's Zizi's daughter
Hora k'bô conta um conte
When you tell a story
Conta-l tintin por tintin
Tell it all, every detail
Ka bô crescental um ponto
Don't add a single point
Pa-s ka levob pa Furtin
So it won't get taken to court
Contributed by Lincoln F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
E Koug
Saiona d'Vinte One
Ja soma na cabeçada
Pal bem conta o k'el k'ouvi
Ma el ka conta kel palmada
K'es da sê filha Zizi
Saiona d'Vinte One
Ja soma na cabeçada
Pal bem conta o k'el k'ouvi
Ma el ka conta kel palmada
K'es da sê filha Zizi
Hora k'bô conta um conte
Conta-l tintin por tintin
Ka bô crescental um ponto
Pa-s ka levob pa Furtin
Рашад Гасанов
Царство Небесное!Прекрасная певица.Душой исполняет ....
Ольга Реймерова
Упокой.Господь твою Душу, самобытный и неповторимый талант! Сезария, спасибо за творчество!
Lusitarafa
Какая прекрасная душа!!! Вечная память Ей!!!
Miguel Félix Retamero Frías
¡Que voz! ¡Qué melodía!¡Qué armonía!No tiene desperdicio,otra no la habrá,puede que venga alguien con semejante voz,ha sido unica,gracias al Creador por darnos este regalo de la musica,es como el vino excelente,gracias Jehová.
Carlos Fernando de Souza Rosa
Concordo com seu comentário. Jeová Deus, deus lindas qualidades aos humanos. Imagina no Novo Mundo todos perfeitos !!! Será maravilhoso!!! Um abração e que Jv Deus abençoe. Somos Pioneiros especiais e estamos servindo no estado do Piauí, Brasil
Maria José de Souza Alves
Cesaria, onde vc estiver será sempre lembrada por seus admiradores aqui no Brasil.Voce não sera esquecida, te admiro muito e senti muito a sua partida para os braços de Deus.Descança em paz vc merece.
Zumr
Adorable music----Adorable voice! Love from Australia.
Матевос Манукян
Любимая,любимая певица!!!Целыми днями слушаю и не могу оторваться!!!!
ramon ruiz
Senora de Veinte Anos. Una de las mejores canciones de este Angel de Cabo Verde Descanse en Paz.
Douglas Lorenzon
Deus a tenha, Cesaria.