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.

Vai o bem fugindo
Cristina Branco Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

(Luís Vaz de Camões)

Vai o bem fugindo
Cresce o mal cos anos
Vão-se descobrindo
Co tempo os enganos
Amor e alegria
Menos tempo dura

Triste de quem fia
Nos bens da ventura

Ai ventura minha
Como me negaste
Um só bem que tinha
Porque mo roubaste
Alegre vivia
Triste vivo agora
Canta a alma de dia
E de noite chora

O campo floresça
Murmurem as águas
Tudo me entristeça
Cresçam minhas máguas
Confesso os enganos
Do meu pensamento

Bem de tantos anos
Foi-se num momento

Overall Meaning

The first verse of Cristina Branco's song Vai o bem fugindo (The Good is Fleeing) is a quote from the Portuguese poet Luís Vaz de Camões. The verse translates to "The good is fleeing, evil grows with the years, as time goes on, mistakes are revealed." The second verse shows how fragile love and happiness are, as they do not last long. The singer then laments his situation, saying "sad is the one who trusts in the fortunes of life." The third verse is a plea to fortune, as the singer questions why she took away his only good thing and now he lives in sadness.

The fourth and final verse describes the beauty of nature, but the singer says that it only adds to his sorrow and that his mistakes have been revealed. This song is a reflection on how time can reveal the negative aspects of life and how fleeting happiness truly is. It is a testament to the melancholic, introspective style of fado music that originates from Portugal. The song speaks to the fragility of happiness and how quickly things can change. The overall theme of the song is one of sadness and regret, and the recognition that everything in life is temporary.

Line by Line Meaning

Vai o bem fugindo
The good things are disappearing

Cresce o mal cos anos
As time goes by, the bad things increase

Vão-se descobrindo
Mistakes are being uncovered

Co tempo os enganos
As time goes on, lies are revealed

Amor e alegria
Love and joy

Menos tempo dura
Do not last forever

Triste de quem fia
Sad are those who rely

Nos bens da ventura
On blessings and happiness

Ai ventura minha
Oh, my fortune

Como me negaste
How you denied me

Um só bem que tinha
The one good thing I had