Mestre Leopoldina Morreu ♫

Hoje a saudade apertou no meu peito
Quando meu berimbau se quebrou
Avizando que a Capoeira entristeceu
Que o saudoso Mestre foi embora
Mestre Leopoldina morreu

Hoje a saudade apertou no meu peito
Quando meu berimbau se quebrou
Avizando que a Capoeira entristeceu
Que o saudoso Mestre foi embora
Mestre Leopoldina morreu

Hoje as terras de aruanda esta em festa
Com a chegada do grande poeta, e cantador
Que aqui na terra deixou muita saudade
Com jeito de jogar e a malandragem
No mundo que o Mestre se consagrou

Com seu chapeu de aba, e terno branco
Malandro, elegante que ao povo encantou
Foi moleque, pobre sem dinheiro
Já vendeu limao, já foi baleiro
Mas na Capoeira foi doutor

Do Rio de Janeiro pro mundo ele levou
Sua malandragem e mandinga seu valor
Mas seu destino na terra ele compriu
Chegou a hora ele partiu
Pra perto de Deus nosso Senhor

Hoje a saudade apertou no meu peito
Quando meu berimbau se quebrou
Foi moleque, pobre sem dinheiro
Já vendeu limao, já foi baleiro
Mas na Capoeira foi Doutor

Today a longing opened up in my chest
When my berimbau broke
Pointing out that Capoeira saddened
That the beloved Mestre has left
Mestre Leopoldina died

Today a longing opened up in my chest
when my berimbau broke
Pointing out that Capoeira saddened
That the beloved Mestre has left
Mestre Leopoldina died

Today the lands of aruanda are celebrating
With the arrival of the great poet, and singer
Who here on earth left much longing
With his way of playing and tricking
In the world that the Mestre has consecrated

With his flap hat, and white suit
Trickster, elegant, enchanting the people
He was a kid, poor without money
Already sold lemons, was a hitchhiker
But in Capoeira he was a doctor

From Rio de Janeiro to the world he took
His trickery and playfulness his value
But his fate on earth he has fulfilled
The time came for him to leave
To be near God our Lord

Today a longing opened up in my chest
When my berimbau broke
He was a kid, poor without money
Already sold lemons, was a hitchhiker
But in Capoeira he was a doctor

Did you know?

Aruanda

Aruanda is a mythical, spiritual realm in Afro-Brazilian folklore that represents a paradise of freedom, peace, and ancestral connection.
The name is a linguistic evolution of Luanda, transforming a real African slave port into a sacred, heavenly home for displaced souls.
For enslaved Africans, it was envisioned as a utopian land where they would finally be liberated from the horrors of bondage and reunited with their deities.
In the roda, capoeiristas frequently sing of this realm to invoke a deep sense of spiritual protection, nostalgia, and reverence for the ancestors.
Traditional songs often describe masters and legendary fighters returning to this paradise after their passing, keeping their memory alive in the music.

Berimbau

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.