Capoeira Songs

Abalou Capoeira, Abalou

"Capoeira" can mean the art of Capoeira (jogo capoeira, "I play Capoeira"), or a person that practices Capoeira (eu vi dois capoeiras, "I saw two Capoeira players").
Abalou doesn't have a direct translation in English. It can mean "shook," as in "a tempestade abalou as árvores" (the storm shook the trees), with the idea of a sudden hit that causes movement, that throws something off-balance, that shakes it. In this song, it means it 'hit', 'struck', or 'rattled' someone, in the sense of a sudden jolt. This could be literally (they got hit or hit the ground), or figuratively (it hit them and provoked emotion).

Portuguese	English
Abalou Capoeira, Abalou	Capoeira struck, it struck
Mas se abalou, deixa abalar	But if it struck, let it strike
Abalou Capoeira, Abalou	Capoeira struck, it struck
Mas se abalou, deixa abalar	But if it struck, let it strike
Abalou Capoeira, Abalou	Capoeira struck, it struck
Mas se abalou, deixa cair	But if it struck, let it fall
Abalou Capoeira, Abalou	Capoeira struck, it struck

Areia

Portuguese	English
Ô areia, ô areia	Oh sand, oh sand
Ô areia, ô areia	Oh sand, oh sand
Dá licença moço	Excuse me young man
Areia	Sand
Que eu quero passar	I would like to get by you
Areia	Sand
Eu sou pequenininho	I am very small
Areia	Sand
Deixa eu brincar	Let me play around
Areia	Sand

É de couro de boi

Portuguese	English
Meu atabaque é de couro de boi	My atabaque is made with ox leather
Meu atabaque é de couro de boi	My atabaque is made with ox leather
Meu atabaque é de couro de boi	My atabaque is made with ox leather
Meu atabaque	My atabaque is made with ox leather
É de couro de boi	Is made with ox leather
Meu atabaque	My atabaque is made with ox leather
É de couro de boi	Is made with ox leather

Lala é la

This song just uses sounds and not actual words, like singing "la la la."

Portuguese	English
Lala é, lala é, lala é lala é la	Lala eh, lala eh, lala eh lala eh la
Lala é, lala é, lala é lala é la	Lala eh, lala eh, lala eh lala eh la
Lala é, lala é, lala é lala é la	Lala eh, lala eh, lala eh lala eh la
Lala é, lala é, lala é lala é la	Lala eh, lala eh, lala eh lala eh la
Ô lelê	Oh leh-ley
lala é la	Lala eh la
Ô lelê	Oh leh-ley
lala é la	Lala eh la
Ô lelê	Oh leh-ley
lala é la	Lala eh la

Maracangalha é-é, Maracangalha é-a

Maracangalha is a place in Santo Amaro, Bahia, Brazil that had a sugar mill where the legendary capoeirista Besouro Mangangá was murdered.

Portuguese	English
Maracangalha é-é, Maracangalha é-a	Maracangalha eh-eh, Maracangalha eh-ah
Maracangalha é-é, Maracangalha é-a	Maracangalha eh-eh, Maracangalha eh-ah
Maracangalha	Maracangalha
É-é	Eh-Eh
Maracangalha	Maracangalha
É-a	Eh-ah
Maracangalha	Maracangalha
É-é	Eh-Eh
Maracangalha	Maracangalha
É-a	Eh-ah

Onde vai caimã

Ilha de Maré ("Island of the Tide") is a fishing community in Bahia that has a rich history of Capoeira. Some of the most famous masters from Ilha de Maré are Mestre Waldemar, Mestre Totonho de Maré, and Mestre Moraes

Portuguese	English
Onde vai caimã	Where the caiman goes
Caimã Caimã	Caiman caiman
Onde vai caimã	Where the caiman goes
Vou pra Ilha de Maré	I go to Ilha de Maré
Onde vai caimã	Where the caiman goes
Vou jogar Capoeira	I will play Capoeira
Onde vai caimã	Where the caiman goes
Arte de bater com pé	Art of hitting with the foot
Onde vai caimã	Where the caiman goes

Maestro da Capoeira (Sabiá canta, meu mestre joga)

Portuguese	English
Maestro da Capoeira, tocador de berimbau	Capoeira maestro, (expert) berimbau player
Cantador de pouca voz, honesto e genial	A singer with a quiet voice, honest and brilliant
Eu falo do Mestre Bocka, é fundador da Angonal	I'm speak of Mestre Bocka, the founder of Angonal
Quem não conhece se admira pela forma de ensinar	Those who don't know him admire the way he teaches
Muito calmo, inteligente, um sorriso no olhar	Very calm and intelligent, a smile in his eyes
Ensinou para um aluno, nunca vai te abandonar	Once he's taught a student, he will never abandon you
Fez um homem de carater, hoje Mestre Sabiá	He made a man of character, who today is Mestre Sabiá
Sabiá canta, meu mestre joga	Sabiá sings, my mestre plays
Mas agradeço ao meu Deus	I give thanks to God
Por está nessa roda	For being able to be in this roda
Sabiá canta, meu mestre joga	Sabiá sings, my mestre plays
Sabiá canta, meu mestre joga	Sabiá sings, my mestre plays
Mas agradeço ao meu Deus	I give thanks to God
Sabiá, Mestre Bocka	(For) Sabiá, Mestre Bocka
Sabiá canta, meu mestre joga	Sabiá sings, my mestre plays
Olha Toni, Verdugo, e Moreno	Look, (Mestres) Toni, Verdugo, e Moreno
Faz parte da história	Are part of history
Sabiá canta, meu mestre joga	Sabiá sings, my mestre plays

Parabéns pra você (Happy Birthday)

Parabéns ("congratulations") is a common way of wishing someone a Happy Birthday. A tradition practiced by many Capoeira schools, including ours, is that when it is someone's birthday, they have to play everyone in the roda back to back. This Brazilian version of the Happy Birthday song is typically sung at that time.

Portuguese	English
Parabéns pra você	Congratulations to you
Nesta data querida	On this special day
Muitas felicidades	Wishing you much happiness
Muitos anos de vida	And many more years of life

Paraná é, Paraná é, Paraná

The Paraná is a river in South America that was one of the sites of battle during the War of The Triple Alliance between Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay against Paraguay. The vast majority of soldiers from all four countries were enslaved. In Brazil, enslaved people - many of them capoeiristas - were sent to fight under the promise that they would be freed if they returned. Many did not return alive, and not all were freed as promised if they did return. This song is told from the perspective of an enslaved soldier in Paraná.

Portuguese	English
Paraná é, Paraná é, Paraná	Paraná eh, Paraná eh, Paraná
Paraná é, Paraná é, Paraná	Paraná eh, Paraná eh, Paraná
Vou dizer a minha mulher, Paraná Capoeira me venceu, Paraná	I will tell my wife, Paraná Capoeira conquered me, Paraná
Paraná é, Paraná é, Paraná	Paraná eh, Paraná eh, Paraná
Vou me embora, vou me embora, Paraná Vou me embora pra Bahia, Paraná	I will leave, I will leave, Paraná I will leave for Bahia, Paraná
Paraná é, Paraná é, Paraná	Paraná eh, Paraná eh, Paraná
Eu aqui não sou querido, Paraná Mas na minha terra eu sou, Paraná	Here I am not beloved, Paraná But in my land I am, Paraná
Paraná é, Paraná é, Paraná	Paraná eh, Paraná eh, Paraná
Vou me embora pra Bahia, Paraná Eu já disse que eu vou, Paraná	I am leaving for Bahia, Paraná I already said I would, Paraná
Paraná é, Paraná é, Paraná	Paraná eh, Paraná eh, Paraná
Tem a festa do Bomfim, Paraná E o mercado popular, Paraná	It has the feast of Senhor do Bomfim, Paraná And the Mercado Modelo, Paraná
Paraná é, Paraná é, Paraná	Paraná eh, Paraná eh, Paraná

Tim tim tim la vai viola

This is onomatapoeia (a word that imitates the sound of something) mimicking the high pitched sound of a berimbau
The viola is the berimbau with the highest pitch that mainly improvises.

Portuguese	English
Tim tim tim la vai viola	Tching tching tching there goes the viola
Lé lé la vai viola	Leh leh there goes the viola
Tim tim tim la vai viola	Tching tching tching there goes the viola
Viola meu bem, viola	Viola my dear, viola
Tim tim tim la vai viola	Tching tching tching there goes the viola
Esse jogo é bonito, esse jogo é de Angola	This game is beautiful, this game is from Angola
Tim tim tim la vai viola	Tching tching tching there goes the viola
Jogo de dentro, jogo de fora	Inside game, outside game
Tim tim tim la vai viola	Tching tching tching there goes the viola