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.
O meu cavalo passeia
Cristina Branco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Você não tem quem você pensa que tem
Pra entender o amor,
Faça um trato com a fé.
Diz que o céu quando quer,
Força o braço que for.
E abre um mar ai
E abre um mar ai
Faça um trato com a fé.
Diz que o cêu quando quer,
Força o braço que for
E abre um mar ai
Fica mais leve, o peso do meu coração Fica mais leve.
In Cristina Branco's song "O meu cavalo passeia," the lyrics speak about the complexities of love and the need for faith in order to understand it. The song begins with the lines "Você não é quem você pensa que é, Você não tem quem você pensa que tem" which translate to "You are not who you think you are, You do not have who you think you have," effectively setting the tone for the rest of the song. These lines suggest that one's perception of themselves and their relationships may not necessarily be accurate, and that true understanding may require an open mind and a willingness to see things from a different perspective.
The following lines explore the idea that it is through faith that we may find understanding in love. The singer encourages us to "Faça um trato com a fé," or "Make a deal with faith," emphasizing the importance of believing in something greater than ourselves. The reference to the sky being able to "force the arm" and "open a sea" suggests that perhaps some things are beyond our control, and we must have faith that things will work out as they should.
Towards the end of the song, the repeated "E abre um mar ai, Fica mais leve, o peso do meu coração, fica mais leve" can be translated to "And a sea opens up, The weight on my heart becomes lighter, becomes lighter." These lines offer a sense of release and relief, as if through faith and a deeper understanding of love, the burdens of the heart may be lifted.
Line by Line Meaning
Você não é quem você pensa que é
You are not who you think you are
Você não tem quem você pensa que tem
You don't have who you think you have
Pra entender o amor,
Faça um trato com a fé.
To understand love, make a deal with faith
Diz que o céu quando quer,
Força o braço que for.
Say that the sky, when it wants to, forces any arm
E abre um mar ai
E abre um mar ai
And opens a sea there, and opens a sea there
Pra entender o amor,
Faça um trato com a fé.
To understand love, make a deal with faith
Diz que o cêu quando quer,
Força o braço que for
E abre um mar ai
Say that the sky, when it wants to, forces any arm and opens a sea there
Fica mais leve, o peso do meu coração
Fica mais leve.
The weight of my heart becomes lighter, it becomes lighter
Writer(s): Custódio Castelo, Maria Manuela Cid
Contributed by Keira E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.