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.
Venham Mais Cinco
Cristina Branco Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Duma assentada
Que eu pago já
Do branco ou tinto
Se o velho estica
Eu fico por cá
Se tem má pinta
E põe-no a andar
De espada à cinta
Já crê que é rei
D´Aquém e D'Além Mar
Não me obriguem
A vir para a rua
Gritar
Que é já tempo
De embalar a trouxa
E zarpar
A gente ajuda
Havemos de ser mais
Eu bem sei
Mas há quem queira
Deitar abaixo
O que eu levantei
A bucha é dura
Mais dura é a razão
Que a sustem
Só nesta rusga
Não há lugar
Prós filhos da mãe
Não me obriguem
A vir para a rua
Gritar
Que é já tempo
De embalar a trouxa
E zarpar
Bem me diziam
Bem me avisavam
Como era a lei
Na minha terra
Quem trepa
No coqueiro
É o rei
The song "Venham Mais Cinco" by Cristina Branco is a melancholic tune that talks about staying behind at a bar while everyone else goes home. The lyrics talk about buying five more drinks in one go and staying there as long as the bar allows. The persona buying the drinks assures that they will pay for it regardless of the type of wine, white or red, they are buying. There is a reference to getting rid of the people who do not seem trustworthy with a whistle, but the persona also acknowledges that there are people who want to bring them down, but they are determined to stand their ground. The reference to the coqueiro tree in the last line of the song denotes a common belief in Brazil that whoever climbes that tree and reaches the top is the king. The song speaks of a desire to stay in a safe place and not move away from it due to a fear of those who might bring them down.
The song is interestingly ambiguous, and it can be interpreted in different ways, depending on one's perspective. It can be seen as a song about drinking and the culture of bars, with the persona wanting to stay in that setting indefinitely. Still, it can also be interpreted as a commentary on society, where the individual is wary of the people they encounter and the dangers of the world outside. It is a subtle commentary that is incredibly relatable.
Line by Line Meaning
Venham mais cinco
Bring another five glasses of wine
Duma assentada
All at once, without interruption
Que eu pago já
I will pay for all of it now
Do branco ou tinto
Whether it's white or red wine
Se o velho estica
If the old man dies
Eu fico por cá
I'll stay here
Se tem má pinta
If someone looks suspicious
Dá-lhe um apito
Blow a whistle at them
E põe-no a andar
And make them leave
De espada à cinta
Wearing a sword on their belt
Já crê que é rei
They already think they're a king
D' Aquém e D'Além Mar
From this side of the sea and beyond
Não me obriguem
Don't force me
A vir para a rua
To come out to the street
Gritar
Shout
Que é já tempo
That it's time
De embalar a trouxa
To pack our bags
E zarpar
And set sail
A gente ajuda
We'll help each other
Havemos de ser mais
We'll always be more
Eu bem sei
I know it well
Mas há quem queira
But there are those who want
Deitar abaixo
To tear down
O que eu levantei
What I have built up
A bucha é dura
The battle is hard
Mais dura é a razão
But even stronger is our conviction
Que a sustem
That sustains us
Só nesta rusga
Only in this brawl
Não há lugar
There is no place
Prós filhos da mãe
For the bad guys
Bem me diziam
They told me well
Bem me avisavam
They warned me well
Como era a lei
How the law worked
Na minha terra
In my land
Quem trepa
Whoever climbs
No coqueiro
On the coconut tree
É o rei
Is the king
Contributed by William S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.