She won the biggest song contest dedicated to fado in Portugal: “Grande Noite Do Fado”. She sings regularly at “Bacalhau De Molho”, one of the most famous fado houses in Lisbon, and has made shows all around Europe, in cities like Paris, Rome or Madrid. Raquel sings what she sees, feels and smells around her, what she lives from day to day. And nothing suits her purposes better than the tangible, real-life stories written by Linhares Barbosa, the fado poet who best told the tales of the people. Her first album was released in 2006 and this was also the year when she was the winner of the Amália Rodrigues Revelation Prize. Her second album, Bairro, just came out in May 2008. She’s been named one of the most representative fado singers of the new generation and no longer just a promising voice. She entered in the Eurovision Dance Contest 2008 with João Tiago. They took the 8th place.
Tradicão
Raquel Tavares Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
O vento muda
Empurra a moda
Nem que a rosa caia
Nada nunca
Para a roda
Vai, rosa cobaia, arredonda-a bem
Que essa tua saia já foi da tua mãe
Essa saia ao tempo
Contra o vento, contra o tempo
Que faz girar mundo
Nem que em plena roda
A rosa caia
Vai, Maria canta
Aos teus amores
As dores de outrora
Canta em agonia
Outra que
Não é de agora
Vai, roda gigante, faz girar o mundo
Que é pedra que anda à roda
E contraria aquela
Pedra que parou no peito de qualquer Maria
E a rosa no seu posto ainda rodopia
E vai rodando a saia
Até qualquer dia
The lyrics of Raquel Tavares's song Tradição, talk about the spinning wheel of tradition or heritage that one inherits, specifically in the context of the Portuguese culture. The opening line "Rosa roda a saia" literally means that "Rosa spins her skirt" which signifies the continuation of the cycle of traditional activities. The second line, "o vento muda, empurra a moda, nem que a rosa caia" translates to "The wind changes and pushes the fashion, but not even if Rosa falls", suggesting that despite the changing times and trends, traditions remain strong and unyielding.
The lyrics further describe how the singer Rosa carries on the tradition of her mother, who spun her skirt to the rhythm of time, and how Maria sings about the pains of lovers from the past. The lines, "roda gigante, faz girar o mundo, que é pedra que anda à roda" translates to "Giant wheel, make the world turn, which is a stone that rolls" symbolizing that even though time seems to be static, it keeps moving forward, and traditions are what keep this endless cycle spinning. The song ends with the line "E vai rodando a saia até qualquer dia" which means "And the skirt keeps spinning until another day," implying that the cycle continues, and the tradition lives on.
Line by Line Meaning
Rosa roda a saia
The girl spins her skirt
O vento muda
The wind changes
Empurra a moda
Forces fashion
Nem que a rosa caia
Even if the girl falls
Nada nunca Para a roda
The spinning never stops
Vai, rosa cobaia, arredonda-a bem
Go, experimental girl, round it up well
Que essa tua saia já foi da tua mãe
For your skirt was already your mother's
Já a mãe dela girava
Her mother was already spinning
Essa saia ao tempo Contra o vento, contra o tempo
That skirt, against the wind, against time
Que faz girar mundo
That spins the world
Nem que em plena roda A rosa caia
Even if the girl falls in the middle of the spinning
Vai, Maria canta Aos teus amores
Go, Maria, sing to your loves
As dores de outrora Canta em agonia
Sing the pains of the past in agony
Outra que Não é de agora
Others that are not from now
Vai, roda gigante, faz girar o mundo
Go, big wheel, spin the world
Que é pedra que anda à roda
That is a stone that rolls
E contraria aquela Pedra que parou no peito de qualquer Maria
And contradicts that stone that stopped in the heart of any Maria
E a rosa no seu posto ainda rodopia
And the girl still spins at her post
E vai rodando a saia Até qualquer dia
And the skirt keeps spinning until another day
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Miguel Araujo
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind