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.
Tortura
Cesária Évora Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pa' me podê dirigi nha barca
E vog' na mar di bô amor
Longe di tudo dor
Livre di temporal
Mansinho
Mosta'-me tudo quel bem querer cretcheu
Ilumina ' nha camin d' felecidade
Raiode pa simplicidade
Dum vivença
Cheio di carinho
Ja' me larga' um S.O.S.
Di nha solidaô
Mode nesse escuridâo
Ja' me ta quase na perdiçâo
Sô Deus sabê nh'agonia
Na bô ausencia
Qui ta tortura'-me, tortura'-me
Qui ta tortura' nha alma intera
In Cesaria Evora's song "Tortura", the singer asks for a sign from life to help guide her boat towards the sea of love, far away from all the pain and free from all the storms. She wants to be shown all the love that was hidden from her so that it could light up her path towards happiness, making her life full of love and affection. Cesaria then cries out for help from the darkness that is consuming her, for she is on the brink of falling into despair. Only God knows the agony that she endures in the absence of her love, and this torture cuts away at her soul.
The song is a powerful expression of the yearning for love and the pain of separation. Cesaria's voice is soulful, and her lyrics are emotional and expressive. The song starts slow and melancholic, but the pace picks up towards the end as Cesaria's emotions reach a crescendo. The lyrics evoke feelings of distress, desperation, and heartbreak, making "Tortura" a poignant and moving piece of music.
Line by Line Meaning
Fazê-me um sinal na vida
Make a sign in my life to guide my boat, so I can sail on the sea of your love far away from all pain and free from any storm, gently.
Pa' me podê dirigi nha barca
To direct my boat in the right direction with your guiding sign.
E vog' na mar di bô amor
Sail in the sea of your love and feel the waves of your affection that will take me to a happy place.
Longe di tudo dor
Away from any pain and sorrow.
Livre di temporal
Free from any temporal and earthly obstacles or hindrances.
Mansinho
Softly, gently, with care and tenderness.
Mosta'-me tudo quel bem querer cretcheu
Show me all the good things that you have reserved for me and can make my life brighter.
Qui ta podê tra' nha viver di breu
That can bring light and hope to my darkening life.
Ilumina ' nha camin d' felecidade
Light up my path to happiness and guide me towards it.
Raiode pa simplicidade
With rays of simplicity that will make my life easier and more meaningful.
Dum vivença
Through a life full of ups and downs, with its joys and sorrows.
Cheio di carinho
Filled with your love and care.
Ja' me larga' um S.O.S.
Already sent an S.O.S., my plea for help, my call for rescue.
Di nha solidaô
In my loneliness, when I am lost and need a true friend.
Mode nesse escuridâo
Especially in the darkness, when I cannot see the way and need your light to guide me.
Ja' me ta quase na perdiçâo
Already so close to being lost, to losing hope, to despair.
Sô Deus sabê nh'agonia
Only God knows my agony and suffering.
Na bô ausencia
In your absence, when you are far away and I feel alone and helpless.
Qui ta tortura'-me, tortura'-me
That tortures me inside, that causes me pain and suffering in my heart and soul.
Qui ta tortura' nha alma intera
That tortures my entire being, my spirit, my inner self.
Contributed by Hailey F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Plina Da Silva
I love Cesaria she is one of the best female vocalists I have ever heard other than Celia Cruz.
Fxnky
I hate mfrs compare artists 😩
Raymond Louis Llompart
A UNIQUE Voice in the pantheon of extraordinary voices of the 20th Century..........I am astounded that this is the very first comment..........A GIANT among interpreters who share a depth, a humanity that is beyond most..............RIP............
brian.dudek
Fantastic! The entire Miss Perfumado album brings back nice memories. I think Buena Vista Social Club is a nice paring with her work.
Dave Barber
She I truly superb here deliverance of a song is just so smooth cool and laid back pure joy to listen to her.🤗🙂👍