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.
Xandinha
Cesária Évora Lyrics
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Tem doçura de mel
Tem magia de sol
Ta cambá na mar azul
Àssim'm ta pedi Deus
Pa antes d'um morrê
Dixam na nha despidida
Bos odjos Xandinha
Tem doçura de mel
Tem magia de sol
Ta cambá na mar azul
Àssim'm ta pedi Deus
Pa antes d'um morrê
Dixam na nha despidida
Odja bôs odjos Xandinha
E' ca lua, é ca 'strela
E' ca perola di mar
E' ca feitiço é ca sodade
E' madrugada na bôs odjos
E' Sò bôs odjos Xandinha
E' ca lua, é ca 'strela
E' ca perola di mar
E' ca feitiço é ca sodade
E' madrugada na bôs odjos
E' Sò bôs odjos Xandinha
Àssim'm ta pedi Deus
Pa antes d'um morrê
Dixam na nha despidida
Odja bôs odjos Xandinha
E' ca lua, é ca 'strela
E' ca perola di mar
E' ca feitiço é ca sodade
E' madrugada na bôs odjos
E' Sò bôs odjos Xandinha
E' ca lua, é ca 'strela
E' ca perola di mar
E' ca feitiço é ca sodade
E' madrugada na bôs odjos
E' Sò bôs odjos Xandinha
The song "Xandinha" by Césaria Ývora is a beautiful tribute to a woman named Xandinha, whose eyes are described as having the sweetness of honey and the magic of the sun. The singer asks God to grant her the opportunity to see Xandinha's eyes before she dies. The lyrics' imagery is stunning, with comparisons to the moon, stars, pearls of the sea, and the longing for someone who is dearly missed. The repetition of the verses emphasizes the timelessness and depth of Xandinha's impact on the singer's life, as well as the universality of how one's loved ones can leave an everlasting imprint.
The song's melody is gentle, with a slow tempo that creates a sense of nostalgia and reverence. The instrumentation is sparse, with primarily a guitar and percussion, allowing Césaria's emotive voice to shine through. The song is sung in Cape Verdean Creole, which adds to the cultural authenticity of the piece.
Line by Line Meaning
Bos odjos Xandinha
Xandinha's eyes
Tem doçura de mel
They have the sweetness of honey
Tem magia de sol
They have the magic of the sun
Ta cambá na mar azul
They walk on the blue sea
Àssim'm ta pedi Deus
So I ask God
Pa antes d'um morrê
Before I die
Dixam na nha despidida
Let me say goodbye
Odja bôs odjos Xandinha
Look into your eyes, Xandinha
E' ca lua, é ca 'strela
It's like the moon, it's like the stars
E' ca perola di mar
It's like a pearl in the sea
E' ca feitiço é ca sodade
It's like magic and longing
E' madrugada na bôs odjos
It's dawn in your eyes
E' Sò bôs odjos Xandinha
It's only your eyes, Xandinha
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Amandio Cabral
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Noemia Caldeira
Minha querida cantora nos deixaste como recordação tuas maravilhosas Mornas, descansa em paz...
Noemia Caldeira
Gosto imenso desta bela voz pois Cesária Évora canta e encanta, muito obrigada pelo grande talento que Deus te deu...
Noemia Caldeira
Gosto imenso desta música bem como da maravilhosa voz de quem a interpreta. Infelizmente ela já partiu para a maldita eternidade.
eliete guilherme
Que maravilha ouvir essa música e a voz agrada os ouvidos ❤️💝
Kaloian Stoinov
Cesaria-our favourite singer,forever in our hearts,with goddest
(maravilhosa)voice.R.I.P our Queen...Blue greetings from BG-Eli.Varna
Noemia Caldeira
Maldita morte que silênciou uma voz tão linda...
Noemia Caldeira
Uma voz que se calou para sempre , maldita morte....
Noemia Caldeira
Gosto imenso desta música, pois não me canso de ouvi-la. Maldita morte que sildnciou esta voz.
Noemia Caldeira
Mi gosta muito di Cesária Évora.
Noemia Caldeira
Moi j'aime beaucoup d'écouter la musique de Cesária Évora, elle chante trés bien.