Zumbi
Jorge Ben Lyrics

Angola, Congo, Benguela
The mention of these places represents the African countries that suffered the most from the transatlantic slave trade.

Monjolo, Cabinda, Mina
These cities were primary locations for slave trading in Brazil.

Quiloa, Rebolo
These are also cities known for their historical involvement in the slave trade.

Aqui onde estão os homens
This line refers to the plantation where slaves are being sold and where white men are present to observe.

Há um grande leilão
There is a large slave auction taking place, where people are sold as objects.

Dizem que nele há / Um princesa à venda / Que veio junto com seus súditos / Acorrentados em carros de boi
At the slave auction, there is a rumor that a princess and her people are being sold as well, forcefully taken from their homeland as they are brought in shackles by ox-drawn carts.

Ao centro senhores sentados / Vendo a colheita do algodão branco / Sendo colhidos por mãos negras
In the midst of the slave auction, white plantation owners sit and watch the cotton they've grown and the profits they'll earn, made off the backs of Black slaves who pick it.

Quando Zumbi chegar / O que vai acontecer
If the legendary freedom fighter Zumbi were to arrive, what would happen? Would the tables be turned?

Zumbi é senhor das guerras / É senhor das demandas / Quando Zumbi chega é Zumbi / É quem manda
Zumbi is a powerful figure, a symbol of resistance and leadership, and if he were to arrive, he would assert his dominance over the oppressive white plantation owners.

Angola, Congo, Benguela / Monjolo, Cabinda, Mina / Quiloa, Rebolo
The refrain of the song repeats the names of the African locations that suffered most from the slave trade, acting as a call to arms and a nod to the African heritage of Brazilian slaves.