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.
Tchon de França
Cesária Évora Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Salamansa
Salamansa
Salamansa
Sei di Salamansa
Chei di esperança
El métê num tracolança
Sei di Salamansa
Chei di esperança
El métê num tracolança
Li ness tchon d'França
Jal tcha kel mar azul (salamansa)
Quês assada na Ti Léla (salamansa)
Nôs festa três di Maio (salamansa)
Ma quel pove é qu′sabê brinca (salamansa)
Jal tcha kel mar azul (salamansa)
Quês assada na Ti Léla (salamansa)
Nôs festa três di Maio (salamansa)
Ma quel pove é qu'sabê brinca (salamansa)
Corrê pa riba
Corrê pra boxe
Da dali da dala
Hora li hora la
El ta vivê
Dente dum gaiola
El sô ma sê viola
Falta'l é sô um Criola
Jal tcha kel mar azul (salamansa)
Quês assada na Ti Léla (salamansa)
Nôs festa três di Maio (salamansa)
Ma quel pove é qu′sabê brinca (salamansa)
Sei di Salamansa
Chei di esperança
El métê num tracolança
Li ness tchon d′França
Sei di Salamansa
Chei di esperança
El métê num tracolança
Li ness tchon d'França
Jal tcha kel mar azul (salamansa)
Quês assada na Ti Léla (salamansa)
Nôs festa três di Maio (salamansa)
Ma quel pove é qu′sabê brinca (salamansa)
Corrê pa riba
Corrê pra boxe
Da dali da dala
Hora li hora la
El ta vivê
Dente dum gaiola
El sô ma sê viola
Falta'l é sô um Criola
Jal tcha kel mar azul (salamansa)
Quês assada na Ti Léla (salamansa)
Nôs festa três di Maio (salamansa)
Ma quel pove é qu′sabê brinca (salamansa)
Jal tcha kel mar azul (salamansa)
Quês assada na Ti Léla (salamansa)
Nôs festa três di Maio (salamansa)
Ma quel pove é qu'sabê brinca (salamansa)
Salamansa
Salamansa
Salamansa
Salamansa
Salamansa
Salamansa
Salamansa
Salamansa
The song "Tchon de França" by Cesária Évora speaks about the village of Salamansa, located in the northern part of the island of São Vicente in Cape Verde. The lyrics describe the hope and dreams of the people living in Salamansa, who are depicted as lively and festive. "El métê num tracolança" means they throw themselves into a dance, which occurs in the tchon (square) in França.
The first verse repeats "Sei di Salamansa, Chei di esperança" which translates to "I am from Salamansa, full of hope." The following verse talks about being by the blue sea, eating grilled fish at Ti Léla's, and celebrating the 3rd of May, which is a holiday in Cape Verde. The chorus repeats the line "Jal tcha kel mar azul" which means "go to the blue sea."
The last verse describes someone living in a cage like a bird, and the only thing missing is a Criola (a Cape Verdean woman) to complete their happiness. The song ends with the chorus and repeating "Salamansa."
Overall, the song celebrates the joy of life in Salamansa and the resilience of its people, even in difficult circumstances. The lyrics are simple yet powerful in describing the beauty of the blue sea, the delicious food, and the lively festivals of Cape Verdean life.
Line by Line Meaning
Salamansa
The name of a place or village, possibly where the song is set.
Salamansa
Repeating the name of the place to emphasize its significance.
Salamansa
Another repetition of the place name for emphasis.
Salamansa
The final repetition of the place name in the song.
Sei di Salamansa
The singer is from Salamansa.
Chei di esperança
The singer is full of hope.
El métê num tracolança
The singer has a plan, but it may be uncertain or risky.
Li ness tchon d′França
The singer suggests that there is someone in France who knows what's going on in Salamansa.
Jal tcha kel mar azul (salamansa)
They go to the blue sea in Salamansa.
Quês assada na Ti Léla (salamansa)
They eat assada (barbecued meat or fish) at Ti Léla's house in Salamansa.
Nôs festa três di Maio (salamansa)
They celebrate May 3rd in Salamansa.
Ma quel pove é qu′sabê brinca (salamansa)
But the people of Salamansa know how to have fun.
Corrê pa riba
Run upwards.
Corrê pra boxe
Run towards the box.
Da dali da dala
Dance around.
Hora li hora la
Here and there, everywhere.
El ta vivê
He/she is living.
Dente dum gaiola
Inside a cage.
El sô ma sê viola
He/she only has his/her guitar.
Falta'l é sô um Criola
He/she only needs a Criola (a woman from Cape Verde) to complete his/her life.
Jal tcha kel mar azul (salamansa)
They go to the blue sea in Salamansa.
Quês assada na Ti Léla (salamansa)
They eat assada (barbecued meat or fish) at Ti Léla's house in Salamansa.
Nôs festa três di Maio (salamansa)
They celebrate May 3rd in Salamansa.
Ma quel pove é qu′sabê brinca (salamansa)
But the people of Salamansa know how to have fun.
Sei di Salamansa
The singer is from Salamansa.
Chei di esperança
The singer is full of hope.
El métê num tracolança
The singer has a plan, but it may be uncertain or risky.
Li ness tchon d′França
The singer suggests that there is someone in France who knows what's going on in Salamansa.
Jal tcha kel mar azul (salamansa)
They go to the blue sea in Salamansa.
Quês assada na Ti Léla (salamansa)
They eat assada (barbecued meat or fish) at Ti Léla's house in Salamansa.
Nôs festa três di Maio (salamansa)
They celebrate May 3rd in Salamansa.
Ma quel pove é qu′sabê brinca (salamansa)
But the people of Salamansa know how to have fun.
Jal tcha kel mar azul (salamansa)
They go to the blue sea in Salamansa.
Quês assada na Ti Léla (salamansa)
They eat assada (barbecued meat or fish) at Ti Léla's house in Salamansa.
Nôs festa três di Maio (salamansa)
They celebrate May 3rd in Salamansa.
Ma quel pove é qu'sabê brinca (salamansa)
But the people of Salamansa know how to have fun.
Salamansa
The final repetition of the place name in the song.
Salamansa
Repeating the name of the place to emphasize its significance.
Salamansa
Another repetition of the place name for emphasis.
Salamansa
The final repetition of the place name in the song.
Salamansa
Repeating the name of the place to emphasize its significance.
Salamansa
Another repetition of the place name for emphasis.
Salamansa
The final repetition of the place name in the song.
Writer(s): Fernando Da Cruz Goncalves
Contributed by Cooper I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.