O moleque chegou lá em casa
Perguntando o que eu ia fazer
Eu vou no mato, eu vou pegar biriba
Pra minha viola fazer
Tim, tim, tim lá vai viola
Digue, digue, digue, digue, digue, digue, dom
Tim, tim, tim lá vai viola
Viola meu bem, mas não é violão
Tim, tim, tim lá vai viola
Ê lá vai viola
Tim, tim, tim lá vai viola
A roda tava desanimada
O povo mal queria cantar
Foi só eu pegar na viola
A roda inteira começou a jogar
Tim, tim, tim lá vai viola
Digue, digue, digue, digue, digue, digue, dom
Tim, tim, tim lá vai viola
Viola meu bem, mas não é violão
Tim, tim, tim lá vai viola
Ê lá vai viola
Tim, tim, tim lá vai viola
The kid came home
Asking what I was going to do
I’m going to the forest, I’m going to get biriba
for making my viola
Tim, Tim, Tim there goes the viola
Digue, digue, digue, digue, digue, digue, dom
Tim, Tim, Tim there goes the viola
My dear viola, but it’s not a guitar
Tim, Tim, Tim there goes viola
Here goes viola
Tim, Tim, Tim there goes viola
The roda was depressing
People hardly wanted to sing
It was me that picked up the viola
The whole roda started to play
Tim, Tim, Tim there goes viola
Digue, digue, digue, digue, digue, digue, dom
Tim, Tim, Tim there goes viola
My dear viola, but it’s not a guitar
Tim, Tim, Tim there goes viola
Here goes viola
Tim, Tim, Tim there goes viola
Did you know?
Biriba
- Biriba is the highly prized, traditional wood harvested from the Eschweilera ovata tree used to craft the verga, which is the flexible wooden bow and backbone of the berimbau.
- Sourced primarily from the Atlantic Forest of Bahia, this specific timber is legendary among capoeiristas for possessing the perfect natural combination of strength, flexibility, and elasticity.
- Its unique physical traits allow the instrument to be heavily flexed and armed under intense tension countless times throughout its life without snapping or permanently losing its shape.
- In old-school tradition, master craftsmen harvest the wood during specific moon phases and carefully shave, sand, and varnish the branch while adding leather protection at the top tip.
- Today, due to the global expansion of the art and high demand, true Bahian biriba is highly protected, prompting capoeiristas to treat their instruments with immense care and reverence.
Viola
- The viola—or violinha—is the highest-pitched berimbau in the orchestra, distinct for having the smallest gourd resonator and the most rigid wooden staff.
- Because its thicker wood requires immense physical strength to flex and string tightly, it produces a very sharp, bright, and piercing acoustic sound.
- In the musical hierarchy of the roda, it serves as the ultimate soloist, breaking away from the steady baseline rhythm maintained by the deeper instruments.
- Its primary role is to improvise, add rhythmic fills, and inject intricate variations that add texture and high energy to the atmosphere.
- It cuts through the heavy collective sound of the percussion easily, creating tiny acoustic spaces for expressive, advanced musical details.
- For capoeiristas, mastering the viola represents a high level of musical maturity, acting like a lead guitar that drives the spirit and flavor of the game.