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.
Vaquinha Mansa
Cesária Évora Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bó carinha contente
Bó boquinha tão doce
Bó sabè e só raja trança
Anda bem cautelada
Procurá sinceridade
Hora qui Deus enfadá
Bó um gantcha
Bó fama ta corrido
Ja bó perdé bó valor
É pa quê bò e mansinha
Anda bem cautelada
Procurá sinceridade
Hora qui Deus enfadá
Mas certo é maternidade
In Cesária Évora's song "Vaquinha Mansa," the lyrics depict a gentle cow who is content and has a sweet disposition. The use of cattle as a metaphor for human behavior is common in Cape Verdean music, and in this case, the cow represents a young and naive woman. The lyrics suggest that although she is gentle and sweet, she needs to be cautious in her search for sincerity and be aware of the consequences of certain actions. She is warned of the perils of losing her value and being taken advantage of, and the inevitability of motherhood, which is seen as a certainty bestowed upon her by God.
The lyrics of "Vaquinha Mansa" are a reflection on the societal expectations placed upon women regarding marriage and motherhood, as well as the possible dangers of naivety and the need for caution in relationships. The song takes a cautionary tone, advising young women to be wary and value themselves while at the same time acknowledging the inevitability of certain life events such as motherhood.
Line by Line Meaning
Vaquinha mansa
A gentle cow
Bó carinha contente
With a happy face
Bó boquinha tão doce
With a sweet mouth
Bó sabè e só raja trança
Knows how to braid hair
Anda bem cautelada
Walks with caution
Procurá sinceridade
Looks for sincerity
Hora qui Deus enfadá
At times when God is annoyed
Mas certo é maternidade
But for sure, motherhood is a certainty
Bó um gantcha
Has a charm
Bó fama ta corrido
Her reputation is spreading
Ja bó perdé bó valor
Even if she loses her worth
É pa quê bò e mansinha
That's why she is gentle
Contributed by Samantha D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
EmmaGarMel
¡Qué voz tan personal y dulce! Linda canción. Gracias Cesarea por haber existido!
Marta Mara
Grande… inmensa Cesaria. Gracias por regalarnos esa voz tan hermosa.
Peter R
Hermosa cancion gracias por siempre Evora!
Astrid Añez
Dios te tenga en su Santa Gloria amén
Gabriel Ferreira
salve Cesaria !