Cristina Branco was born in December, 1972, in Almeirim, Ribatejo, Portugal… Read Full Bio ↴Cristina Branco was born in December, 1972, in Almeirim, Ribatejo, Portugal, where she still lives. Her music is deeply rooted in tradition, yet essentially modern.

She grew up far from the fado houses of Lisbon and nothing suggested that she was predestined for the fado. Like almost all young Portuguese born after the revolution of 1974, she was interested in folk music, jazz, blues, bossa nova but not in fado. She regarded it as a genre for a different generation. This lasted until her 18th birthday, when her grandfather gave her the album Rara e Inédita by Amália Rodrigues. Suddenly, Cristina Branco discovered all the emotions that the genre could offer in the close connections that arose among voice, poetry and music. The amateur singer - then studying communication sciences and still full of her ambition to become a journalist - began to develop her vocal technique and to take her new vocation seriously.
After that, Cristina studied the poems from which major fado lyrics are taken.
Since then, Cristina has worked on her fado repertory, accompanied by Custódio Castelo on guitar and as composer.

Halfway through the nineties, other young musicians also found a new means of expression in the fado and this contributed to a surprising renaissance. Just as they did, Cristina Branco began to make clear choices in which respect for the tradition went hand in hand with the desire for renewal.
There can be no doubt that Cristina Branco is developing her own style from a number of primary components. She employs a traditional group (voice, Portuguese guitar, guitar and bass guitar) and offers us concurrently a light, warm and experienced voice; she mixes the traditional fado with themes and folk songs that are personal favourites and seems always to choose the words of the best Portuguese, or even Dutch poets with discretion.

Há Palavras Que Nos Beijam
Cristina Branco Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Há palavras que nos beijam
Como se tivessem boca,
Palavras de amor, de esperança,
De imenso amor, de esperança louca.
Palavras nuas que beijas
quando a noite perde o rosto,
palavras que se recusam
aos muros do teu desgosto.

De repente coloridas
entre palavras sem cor,
esperadas, inesperadas
como a poesia ou o amor.
(O nome de quem se ama
letra a letra revelado
no mármore distraído,
no papel abandonado)
Palavras que nos transportam
aonde a noite é mais forte,
ao silêncio dos amantes
abraçados contra a morte

There are words that kiss us as if they have a mouth
words of love, of hope, of immense love, of crazy hope.

Naked words that you kiss when the night loses its face
words that deny themselves to the walls of your sorrow

Suddenly colourful between colourless words
expected, unexpected as poetry or love

The name of the loved one reveled letter by letter
in inattentive marble on abandoned paper

Words that carries us (to) where the night is stronger
To the silence of lovers embraced against death.

Overall Meaning

The song "Há Palavras Que Nos Beijam" by Cristina Branco is a beautiful ode to the power of words and their ability to transport us to new emotional depths. Throughout the song, the lyrics paint a vivid picture of the effect that certain words can have on us, particularly those of love and hope. The opening lines, "There are words that kiss us as if they have a mouth, / words of love, of hope, of immense love, of crazy hope," set the tone for the rest of the song, emphasizing the intimate and passionate qualities that words can embody.

The song continues to explore the many ways in which words can impact us, describing them as "naked words that you kiss when the night loses its face" and "words that deny themselves to the walls of your sorrow." These lines suggest that words have the power to reveal our innermost feelings and desires, even when we are most guarded or depressed. Additionally, the song highlights the unexpected nature of certain words, comparing them to "poetry or love" that can appear suddenly and without warning, but which can transform our lives in deeply meaningful ways.

One of the most poignant moments in the song comes when the lyrics describe the name of a loved one being revealed "letter by letter / in inattentive marble on abandoned paper." This image emphasizes the enduring nature of love and the way in which it can be preserved through simple acts of writing or carving, even long after the loved one is gone.

Overall, "Há Palavras Que Nos Beijam" is a powerful and moving meditation on the importance of words, particularly those of love and hope. The song emphasizes the transformative potential of language and suggests that, even in the darkest moments of our lives, words have the power to carry us to new emotional heights.

Line by Line Meaning

Há palavras que nos beijam
There are words that kiss us as if they have a mouth

Como se tivessem boca,
As if they have a mouth,

Palavras de amor, de esperança,
Words of love, hope,

De imenso amor, de esperança louca.
Of immense love, crazy hope.

Palavras nuas que beijas
Naked words that you kiss

quando a noite perde o rosto,
When the night loses its face

palavras que se recusam
Words that deny themselves

aos muros do teu desgosto.
To the walls of your sorrow.

De repente coloridas
Suddenly colourful

entre palavras sem cor,
Between colourless words

esperadas, inesperadas
Expected, unexpected