Não Vi Capoeira Nascer
also sung as “Eu não vi capoeira nascer”
A song retelling, as the elders tell it, how capoeira was born among enslaved Africans in Santo Amaro, Bahia.
Draft translation The English is a first pass and hasn't been checked yet — corrections welcome.
Coro
Eu não vi capoeira nascerI didn't see capoeira being born
Eu vi os mais velhos falarI heard the elders tell of it
Capoeira nasceu na BahiaCapoeira was born in Bahia
Na cidade de Santo AmaroIn the town of Santo Amaro
Solo
Foram os negros africanosIt was the black Africans
Quando foram recapturadosWhen they were recaptured
Trouxeram para a BahiaThey brought them to Bahia
Para eles trabalharTo make them work
Foi na cortagem de canaIt was in the cutting of sugar cane
E na roçagem do matoAnd in the clearing of the bush
Eles fizeram uma dança malucaThey made up a crazy dance
Criando esse esporte legalCreating this great sport
Capoeira é um esporteCapoeira is a sport
Que abalou a naçãoThat shook the nation
Capoeira hoje moraToday capoeira lives
Dentro do meu coraçãoInside my heart