It came to life in 2006, by the hands of 4 young musicians with diverse musical backgrounds and experiences (such as classical music, jazz, ethnical and traditional music), searching to recreate a sound rooted in popular music through the crossing of different musical languages and musical research serving as a base for the group's original compositions. Their first album - Canção ao Lado was released in 2008.
"...Her name is Deolinda and she is old enough to realize that life isnt as easy as it seems. Merrily unmarried, in love and out of love, born in Lisbon, she inhabits a ground floor apartment somewhere in the suburbs of the capital. She writes her own songs by peeking through the curtains of her window, drawing inspiration from the old gramophone records that once belonged to her grandmother and by the bizarre and strange life of her neighbours. She lives with 2 cats and a gold fish..."
Taken from the website:http://www.deolinda.com.pt/
Deolinda are: Ana Bacalhau (vocals), Zé Pedro Leitão (doublebass), Pedro da Silva Martins (classical guitar) and Luís José Martins (classical guitar).
Fado Castigo
Deolinda Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Havia de ser bonito
Entre os versos da canção mais popular,
Ai, é o dito por não dito.
E as guitarras, sob a escuta na batuta de outras modas,
Escondem no trinar das cordas o pesar.
E o poeta vigiado, forçado ao assobio,
E ao calor de uma fogueira, um amigo
Com a voz mais aquecida lá entoa:
Que a saudade mais que um crime é um castigo,
E prisão por prisão, temos Lisboa.
Na-rei-ah...
Proibissem a saudade de cantar
Havia de ser bonito
Entre os versos da canção mais popular
Ai, é o dito por não dito.
E as guitarras, sob a escuta na batuta de outras modas,
Escondem no trinar das cordas o pesar.
E o poeta vigiado, forçado ao assobio,
Carpias mágoas do destino sem mostrar.
E ao calor de uma fogueira, um amigo
Com a voz mais aquecida lá entoa:
Que a saudade mais que um crime é um castigo
E prisão por prisão, temos Lisboa.
Na-rei-ah...
The lyrics of Deolinda's "Fado Castigo" reflect on the power dynamics in Portuguese society during the dictatorship era. The song alludes to the censorship of emotions and music, particularly the genre of Fado, which is an integral part of Portuguese culture. The opening line "Proibissem a saudade de cantar" or "If they forbid saudade to be sung" refers to how the government attempted to ban sentimental longing, a core element of Fado, from being expressed in the medium. The chorus "Havia de ser bonito/Entre os versos da canção mais popular/Ai, é o dito por não dito" translates to "It would be beautiful/between the verses of the most popular song/oh, the unsaid becomes said." Here, the songwriter ironically explains how the government's attempt to censor saudade in Fado gave it even more emphasis and a reason to be sung with greater passion.
The second half of the song describes the plight of Fado performers and the poets who wrote the songs. The line "E as guitarras, sob a escuta na batuta de outras modas/Escondem no trinar das cordas o pesar" references how even though the government allowed some music, they would still keep an ear out for any kind of subversive messages or emotions that could stir up a rebellion, causing Fado musicians to hide any kind of sorrow in their music. The line "E o poeta vigiado, forçado ao assobio/Carpias mágoas do destino sem mostrar" or "And the poet watched, forced to whistle/Heaped the sorrows of destiny without showing" highlights the struggles of the Fado poets who had to express their emotions in subtle ways. The final stanza "Que a saudade mais que um crime é um castigo/E prisão por prisão, temos Lisboa" translates to "That saudade more than a crime is a punishment/And prison by prison, we have Lisbon", and hints at the larger struggle for freedom in Portugal during the dictatorships.
Line by Line Meaning
Proibissem a saudade de cantar,
If they banned the expression of nostalgia through music,
Havia de ser bonito
it would seem idyllic,
Entre os versos da canção mais popular,
in between the lines of the most popular song,
Ai, é o dito por não dito.
there would be an unspoken truth.
E as guitarras, sob a escuta na batuta de outras modas,
The guitars, under the influence of other styles,
Escondem no trinar das cordas o pesar.
hide their sorrow in the tremble of their strings.
E o poeta vigiado, forçado ao assobio,
And the poet, being watched and made to whistle,
Carpias mágoas do destino sem mostrar.
Cries through the bitterness of his destiny concealed from view.
E ao calor de uma fogueira, um amigo
And in the warmth of a bonfire, a friend
Com a voz mais aquecida lá entoa:
with a more lively voice, sings:
Que a saudade mais que um crime é um castigo,
That nostalgia is more of a punishment than a crime,
E prisão por prisão, temos Lisboa.
and if all else fails, we're stuck in Lisbon.
Na-rei-ah...
N/A
Contributed by Jack J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.