Eu vou pra Maracangalha ♫

Eu vou pra Maracangalha ê ê
Eu vou pra Maracangalha ê á
Eu vou pra Maracangalha ê ê
Eu vou pra Maracangalha ê á

Eu vou ver Besouro
Que morreu por lá
ainda hoje ele vive na crendice popular
Eu vou

Eu vou pra Maracangalha ê ê
Eu vou pra Maracangalha ê á
Eu vou pra Maracangalha ê ê
Eu vou pra Maracangalha ê á

Levo o berimbau na mão
E na mente uma canção
E no peito a saudade
De Besouro Valentão
Eu vou

Eu vou pra Maracangalha ê ê
Eu vou pra Maracangalha ê á
Eu vou pra Maracangalha ê ê
Eu vou pra Maracangalha ê á

Meu filho, venha comigo
Me ajude na função
De ensinar a capoeira
E manter a tradição
Eu vou

Eu vou pra Maracangalha ê ê
Eu vou pra Maracangalha ê á
Eu vou pra Maracangalha ê ê
Eu vou pra Maracangalha ê á

Maracangalha
ê ê
Maracangalha
ê á
Maracangalha
ê ê
Maracangalha
ê á

I’m going to Maracangalha, ê ê
I’m going to Maracangalha, ê á
I’m going to Maracangalha, ê ê
I’m going to Maracangalha, ê á

I’m going to see Besouro
Who died there
yet even today he lives on in popular folklore
I’m going

I’m going to Maracangalha, ê ê
I’m going to Maracangalha, ê á
I’m going to Maracangalha, ê ê
I’m going to Maracangalha, ê á

I carry the berimbau in my hand
And a song in my mind
And in my chest the longing
For Besouro the Brave
I’m going

I’m going to Maracangalha, ê ê
I’m going to Maracangalha, ê á
I’m going to Maracangalha, ê ê
I’m going to Maracangalha, ê á

My son, come with me
Help me in this mission
To teach capoeira
And keep the tradition alive
I’m going

I’m going to Maracangalha, ê ê
I’m going to Maracangalha, ê á
I’m going to Maracangalha, ê ê
I’m going to Maracangalha, ê á

Maracangalha
ê ê
Maracangalha
ê á
Maracangalha
ê ê
Maracangalha
ê á

Did you know?

The berimbau is a single-string musical bow of African origin that functions as the absolute leader and commander of the roda.
The instrument dictates the exact speed, stylistic tone, and combat intensity of the capoeiristas through specific rhythms known as toques.
A traditional berimbau is constructed from a wooden staff, a steel wire, a hollowed gourd resonator, a small stone or coin, a bamboo shaker, and a wooden thin stick.
In a traditional orchestra, three distinct pitches are used: the deep-toned gunga to lead the group, the medium médio to hold the rhythm, and the high-pitched viola to improvise.
Enslaved Africans historically used the live music of the bow to camouflage their outlawed martial art, making the training look like an innocent dance to colonial authorities.
Today, the instrument holds a sacred status within the art, and capoeiristas show immense reverence toward it, celebrating its spiritual voice in countless traditional songs.

Besouro Mangangá was born Manoel Henrique Pereira in Bahia and grew into a legendary capoeirista whose unparalleled physical feats earned him mythic status.
His primary nickname Besouro, meaning beetle, praised his uncanny ability to evade police, while Mangangá referenced a venomous beetle to match his lethal sting.
He was also famously known by the names Besouro Preto and Besouro Cordão de Ouro, using these aliases to hide his true identity from criminal authorities.
Popular folklore claimed he possessed magical protection, including the power to fly away from danger and a mystical body closed against blades and bullets.
He became a champion for the poor, frequently fighting abusive landowners and police forces to protect the rights of vulnerable Afro-Brazilian workers.
His life ended tragically when he was ambushed and stabbed with a special wooden dagger, the only weapon believed capable of breaking his defense.

Maracangalha is a historic rural district in the state of Bahia, Brazil, deeply rooted in the history, folklore, and musical traditions of capoeira street culture.
The area is universally famous as the final resting place of the legendary capoeira hero Besouro Mangangá, who was fatally ambushed and stabbed there in July 1924.
In capoeira rodas, the name serves as a lyrical warning or call to action, reminding players to stay highly alert to immediate danger and deception.
It became a central part of mainstream Brazilian pop culture through Dorival Caymmi's iconic 1957 samba song about traveling to the district in a white uniform and straw hat.
Historically a region driven by sugarcane farms and processing mills, it is honored today with monument plaques dedicated to keeping the memory of Besouro alive.