Que saudade do tempo
De jogar com alegria
Me recordo o respeito, o sorisso no rosto
A maior energia
Lá na beira do Cais
Berimbau se ouvia
Eu chegava de branco
E minha roupa branca voltava limpinha, na beira do Cais
Na beira do Cais, berimbau se ouvia
A roda famosa na beira do Cais,
lá no cais da Bahia, na beira do Cais
Na beira do Cais, berimbau se ouvia
O Malandro jogava,
O sorisso no rosto, a major alegria, na beira do Cais
Na beira do Cais, berimbau se ouvia
A cobra picava,
O veneno da cobra não me atingia, na beira do Cais
Na beira do Cais, berimbau se ouvia
Que saudade do tempo
De jogar com alegria,
Me recordo o respeito, o sorisso no rosto
A maior energia
Lá na beira do Cais,
Berimbau se ouvia
Eu chegava de branco,
E minha roupa branca voltava limpinha, na beira do Cais
Na beira do Cais, berimbau se ouvia
Eu pulava na roda,
minha proteção era a virgem Maria, na beira do Cais
Na beira do Cais, berimbau se ouvia
No jogo d’ Angola,
Eu jogava manhoso e a mandinga saïa, na beira do Cais
Na beira do Cais, berimbau se ouvia
Eu pedia a São Bento,
Sua proteção e São Bento me ouvia, na beira do Cais
Na beira do Cais, berimbau se ouvia
How I miss the time
Of playing with joy
I remember the respect, the smile on the face
The greatest energy
There by the Pier
Berimbau was heard
I arrived dressed in white
And my white clothes came back clean, by the Pier
By the Pier, berimbau was heard
The famous circle by the Pier,
there at the Bahia pier, by the Pier
By the Pier, berimbau was heard
The Trickster played,
The smile on the face, the greatest joy, by the Pier
By the Pier, berimbau was heard
The snake bit,
The snake’s venom did not reach me, by the Pier
By the Pier, berimbau was heard
How I miss the time
Of playing with joy,
I remember the respect, the smile on the face
The greatest energy
There by the Pier,
Berimbau was heard
I arrived dressed in white,
And my white clothes came back clean, by the Pier
By the Pier, berimbau was heard
I jumped in the circle,
my protection was the Virgin Mary, by the Pier
By the Pier, berimbau was heard
In the Angola game,
I played cunningly and the spell came out, by the Pier
By the Pier, berimbau was heard
I asked Saint Benedict,
For his protection and Saint Benedict heard me, by the Pier
By the Pier, berimbau was heard
Did you know?
Angola
- Angola is the West-Central African nation that serves as the primary ancestral and cultural birthplace of the rhythms, movements, and spiritual roots of capoeira.
- During the transatlantic slave trade, millions of people were forcibly taken from this region to Brazil, bringing with them rich martial traditions like the combat dance N'golo.
- The country's deep historical connection is permanently embedded in the art through Capoeira Angola, the traditional style dedicated to preserving these original roots.
- The name is universally celebrated in the roda through countless traditional songs that invoke Angola as a sacred land of ancestors, memory, and profound longing.
- The primary instrument of the art, the berimbau, is directly tied to Angolan musical heritage, evolving from traditional bow instruments like the mbulumbumba.
- Today, capoeiristas view the nation as a ultimate cultural touchstone, representing the unbreakable bond between African resistance and Brazilian identity.
Bahia
Bahia, particularly its capital Salvador and the surrounding Recôncavo region, is the historical and cultural birthplace of capoeira in Brazil.
Salvador was founded in 1549 and served as a major port for the transatlantic slave trade, bringing millions of West and Central Africans to the region.
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.