Quem vem la, sou eu,
Quem vem la, sou eu,
Berimbau bateu,
Capoeira sou eu
Quem vem la, sou eu,
Quem vem la, sou eu,
Berimbau bateu,
Capoeira sou eu
Eu venho de longue,
Venho da Bahia,
Jogo Capoeira,
Com muita alegria
Quem vem la, sou eu,
Quem vem la, sou eu,
Berimbau bateu,
Capoeira sou eu
Eu venho de longue,
Venho da Bahia,
Jogo Capoeira,
De noite e também de dia
Quem vem la, sou eu,
Quem vem la, sou eu,
Berimbau bateu,
Capoeira sou eu
Mais sou eu sou eu,
Quem vem la
Eu sou brevenuto
Quem vem la
Montado a cavalo
Quem vem la
Fumando a charuto
Quem vem la
Who goes there? It’s me
Who goes there? It’s me
playing the berimbau
Capoeira that is me
Who goes there? It’s me
Who goes there? It’s me
playing the berimbau
Capoeira that is me
I came from far
Came from Bahia
I play Capoeira
With a lot of joy
Who goes there? It’s me
Who goes there? It’s me
playing the berimbau
Capoeira that is me
I came from far
Came from Bahia
I play Capoeira
In the night and the day
Who goes there? It’s me
Who goes there? It’s me
playing the berimbau
Capoeira that is me
But it’s me, it’s me
Who goes there?
I am brave
Who goes there?
Riding the horse
Who goes there?
Smoking a cigar
Who goes there?
Did you know?
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.