In June 2001, a young Capeverdean singer, hardly 16 years old, completely unknown until then, won a gold medal at the Plays of Francophonie singing contest in Ottawa Hull in Canada among 35 competitors from around world. Mayra Curado Andrade obtained the first Gold medal for her country during an international singing competition.
This event was huge for Cape Verde , since music is one of the principal exported wealth for this small archipelago of ten islands lost in the Atlantic Ocean 500 kilometers of the coasts of Senegal . The young Mayra, who is today the figurehead of the rising generation of singers of her country, was born in Cuba from Capeverdean parents. Mayra lived in Senegal, in Angola, then in Germany.
At 13 years old, she was already noticed for her voice and her personality. She was selected to sing in Belgium during a conference dedicated to Dalaï LAMA' students. After her victory at the Francophonie in Canada, Mayra did not stop performing. She toured Cape Verde, in particular at Praia and Mindelo.
Then, in the mythical room the "Coliseu Dos Recreios" in Lisbon , she sang alongside Bau, former instrumentalist of Césaria Evora. It is in July 2002 that Mayra is invited for the very first time in France, to the Festival of Jazz of "Rendezvous de l'Erdre". On stage, at the sides of two great ladies of the international jazz, the New-Yorker Sheila Jordan and Armenian Datévik Hovanessian, Mayra obtained an enormous success.
She enchanted the Congress of the City of Nantes during the opening of the 24th International Festival of film of the three continents while singing "a Cappella". Then, it was at the "Festival de la Harpe" that Mayra was the headline for the first time. The invitations began to follow: at the Africajarc Festival, she performed beside Joe Zawinul, Ismael Lo, and Angélique Kidjo. She opened for Césaria Evora at New Morning in Paris, for Enrico Macias in the "Festopale" at Etaples and for the Cuban Ernesto Titos Puentes at the time of the "Festival of Jazz" of Valves.
Mayra imposes consequently her own style. She is astonishingly at ease with Morna, Funana, Coladera, and Batuque while adding a bit of jazz. Her personality and her talent bring a true new breath to the music of the islands of Cape Verde, heir of a mixture of rhythms of Africa, the Old man-Continent.
Les mots d'amour
Mayra Andrade Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Serments déchus et lettres
Rêves déçus passés
Il est des phrases damnées
Qui m'écorchent la bouche
Me froissent les pupilles
Me hérissent c'est louche
Les avaries du cœur c'était tous les jours
J'ai passé l'heure autant le dire et sans détour
Au bal, j'ai quelque peu de mal avec les mots d'amour
Un cœur à fleur de peau
Ne souffre pas, mon ami
Que l'on traduise en mots
Les soubresauts de jadis
Ça m'écorche la bouche
Me froisse les pupilles
Me hérisse c'est louche
Les ailes et les papilles
Les avaries du cœur c'était tous les jours
J'ai passé l'heure autant le dire et sans détour
Au bal, j'ai quelque peu de mal avec les mots d'amour
La vie, le temps peut-être
Serments déchus et lettres
Rêves déçus passés
Il est des phrases damnées
Qui m'écorchent la bouche
Me froissent les pupilles
Me hérissent c'est louche
Les ailes et les papilles
Les avaries du cœur c'était tous les jours
J'ai passé l'heure, autant le dire et sans détour
Au bal, j'ai quelque peu de mal avec les mots d'amour
Un cœur à fleur de peau
Ne souffre pas, mon ami
Que l'on traduise en mots
Les soubresauts de jadis
Ça m'écorche la bouche
Me froisse les pupilles
Me hérisse c'est louche
Les ailes et les papilles
Les avaries du cœur c'était tous les jours
J'ai passé l'heure, autant le dire et sans détour
Au bal, j'ai quelque peu de mal avec les mots d'amour
Du mal avec les mots d'amour
Avec les mots d'amour
Du mal avec les mots d'amour
Mayra Andrade's song Les mots d'amour is a melancholic piece about the struggles and challenges of expressing feelings of love through words. The lyrics describe the difficulties of finding the right words to express one's emotions, especially in the face of past disappointments and failures. The first verse describes how life and time can lead to broken promises and shattered dreams, and there are certain phrases that are cursed and difficult to say. These phrases "m'écorchent la bouche", or make the singer's mouth feel raw or painful, and "me froissent les pupilles", or make her eyes feel crushed or wounded. The emotions are so strong that they even "hérissent" or raise up her wings and taste buds.
The second verse repeats the same sentiments, emphasizing the difficulty of putting emotions into words. The chorus repeats the same lines, expressing how the singer struggles with finding the right words even in social situations like a dance, where love and romance are expected.
The final lines of the song explain that having a sensitive heart doesn't mean one is weak, and that it's okay to struggle with putting feelings into words. Even when translating the "soubresauts de jadis", or the emotions of the past, into words, it can be painful and difficult. The song ends with the repetition of the chorus, emphasizing the ongoing struggle with expressing love through words.
Overall, Mayra Andrade's Les mots d'amour is a poignant reflection on the challenges of expressing deep emotions through language, particularly the feelings of love and heartbreak. The song's haunting melody and evocative lyrics capture the complexities of human emotion and the struggle to communicate it effectively.
Line by Line Meaning
La vie, le temps peut-être
Life, and perhaps time,
Serments déchus et lettres
Broken promises and letters,
Rêves déçus passés
Disappointing dreams of the past,
Il est des phrases damnées
There are some damned phrases,
Qui m'écorchent la bouche
That scratch my mouth,
Me froissent les pupilles
And crinkle my pupils,
Me hérissent c'est louche
They make me shudder, it's suspicious,
Les ailes et les papilles
My wings and my taste buds,
Les avaries du cœur c'était tous les jours
Heartaches were an everyday occurrence,
J'ai passé l'heure autant le dire et sans détour
I spent the hour, to say it bluntly,
Au bal, j'ai quelque peu de mal avec les mots d'amour
At the ball, I have a bit of trouble with love words,
Un cœur à fleur de peau
A heart on the surface,
Ne souffre pas, mon ami
Does not suffer, my friend,
Que l'on traduise en mots
That one translates into words,
Les soubresauts de jadis
The old convulsions,
Ça m'écorche la bouche
It scratches my mouth,
Me froisse les pupilles
It crinkles my pupils,
Me hérisse c'est louche
It makes me shudder, it's suspicious,
Les ailes et les papilles
My wings and my taste buds,
Les avaries du cœur c'était tous les jours
Heartaches were an everyday occurrence,
J'ai passé l'heure autant le dire et sans détour
I spent the hour, to say it bluntly,
Au bal, j'ai quelque peu de mal avec les mots d'amour
At the ball, I have a bit of trouble with love words,
La vie, le temps peut-être
Life, and perhaps time,
Serments déchus et lettres
Broken promises and letters,
Rêves déçus passés
Disappointing dreams of the past,
Il est des phrases damnées
There are some damned phrases,
Qui m'écorchent la bouche
That scratch my mouth,
Me froissent les pupilles
And crinkle my pupils,
Me hérissent c'est louche
They make me shudder, it's suspicious,
Les ailes et les papilles
My wings and my taste buds,
Les avaries du cœur c'était tous les jours
Heartaches were an everyday occurrence,
J'ai passé l'heure, autant le dire et sans détour
I spent the hour, to say it bluntly,
Au bal, j'ai quelque peu de mal avec les mots d'amour
At the ball, I have a bit of trouble with love words,
Du mal avec les mots d'amour
Difficulty with love words,
Avec les mots d'amour
With love words,
Du mal avec les mots d'amour
Difficulty with love words,
Writer(s): Tété
Contributed by Sydney T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.