Capoeira Songs

A Manteiga Derramou – Capoeira Song Lyrics, Meaning and English Translation Every Capoeirista is familiar with the song “A Manteiga Derramou”, but have you ever considered the meaning behind the lyrics? The song is a very old one with no known author. As with many Capoeira songs it speaks of the era of slavery during […]

Sai Sai Catarina – Capoeira Song – Lyrics, English Translation and Meaning This song doesn’t have many secrets, but it does have a lot to give! Sorry for shattering your illusions, but not all capoeira songs hide a mysterious story or hidden meaning, sometimes they are just that, songs. There are sources that say that

Oi Sim Sim Sim Capoeira Song – Lyrics, English Translation and Meaning It doesn’t take much to translate the words of this song – But have you thought about what the song is actually trying to say? Oi sim sim simOi não não não Mas hoje tem amanhã nãoMas hoje tem amanhã não Oh yes

Balança que Pesa Ouro – Capoeira Song by Mestre Pernalonga Lyrics and English Translation Balança que pesa ouroNão é pra pesar metalTem passarinho pequenoQue mata cobra coral Balança que pesa ouroNão é pra pesar metalTem passarinho pequenoQue mata cobra coral Boi com sede bebe lamaBarriga vazia não dá sonoEu não sou dono do mundoMais eu

Learn about the different types of song in Capoeira – Know your ladainha from your quadra and your chula from your corrido!

Etymologically the word senzala comes from the bantu language Quimbundo (or Kimbundu) which meant dwelling. Although there is evidence of the occasional use of word in Brazil from the second half of the sixteenth century, it did not begin to be widely used in its current sense until the eighteenth century. A Senzala became the

Possibly the most emblamatic of all Capoeira Songs, Paranauê is a song that every Capoeirista must know. Despite consiting of only one word, when I first heard the song and tried to sing along with the chrous, I was singing “Banana way…”, oops. So what does Paranauê actually mean? As with pretty much all capoeira

Many of Capoeira’s songs actually originated in popular folklore, songs that were first sung by fishermen, sailors, dock workers and slaves, then later incorpoerated into capoeira. The song Marinhero Só is just one such example! Capoeira grew up around the major ports of Brazil, São Salvador and Rio de Janeiro. For this reason many of