“Portuguese Folk Songs”
Project Socrates Comenius
“Green Harmony”
Agrupamento de Escolas de Campo Maior
Portugal
In Portuguese folk songs there are
undoubtedly a lot of them related in any
way with agriculture and seasonal crops.
It would be a hard work to collect and try
to organize them.
So start by perhaps the most popular:
“Oh rama que linda rama”.
Folk song from the Alentejo, (our region),
speaks of the olive tree and its foliage,
love singing, and making an apology not of
fortune, but happiness from exercising
freely in nature.
“Oh Rama que linda rama”
Refrão
Oh rama que linda rama,
Oh rama da oliveira,
O meu par é o mais lindo,
Que anda aqui na roda inteira.
Que anda aqui na roda inteira,
Aqui e em qualquer lugar…
Oh rama e oh que linda rama,
Oh rama do olival.
Eu gosto muito de ouvir
Cantar a quem aprendeu.
Se houvera quem me ensinara,
Quem aprendia era eu!
Refrão
Não m' invejo de quem tem
Parelhas, éguas e montes;
Só m' invejo de quem bebe
A água em todas as fontes.
Refrão
Fui à fonte beber água,
Encontrei um ramo verde;
Quem o perdeu tinha amores,
Quem o achou tinha sede.
Refrão
Debaixo da oliveira
Não se pode namorar;
A folha é miudinha,
Deixa passar o luar.
“Oh what a lovely foliage”
Chorus
Oh what a lovely folliage
Oh the olive branch,
My pair is the most beautiful,
Walking the entire wheel here.
Walking the entire wheel here,
Here and everywhere ...
Oh oh what a beautiful foliage and stems,
Oh the olive branch.
Chorus
I really like to hear
Who learned to sing.
If there had who taught me,
Who was I learned!
Chorus
M not 'envy of those who have
Mules, horses and mountains;
Only m 'envy of drinkers
The water on all sources.
Chorus
I went to the drink water source,
I found a green branch;
Who'd lost loves,
Who thought he was thirsty.
Chorus
Under the olive tree
You can not dating;
The leaf is petite,
Lets the moonlight
We may find the lyrics and the strains for
guitars or piano, at:
http://www.losacordes.com/piano/musicapopular-portuguesa/a-rama
“Oh rama que linda rama”
(Click in the image to see the video)
And here is another
song that would be
sung at harvest time.
“Chora a Videira”
“Chora a videira”
A Videira
Chora a videira,
A videira chora,
Chora a videira
Que se vai embora …
Ó videira, dá-me um cacho,
Ó cacho, dá-me um baguinho,
Deu-se os olhos um aceno,
Deu-se a boca um beijinho.
Chora a videira
E a videira chora,
Chora a videira
Que se vai embora …
Chora a videira,
Deixai-a chorar,
Chora a videira,
Que nos vai deixar.
Ó amor, p’ra ser amor
Não deve ser int’resseiro,
Se queres a minha aliança,
Dá-me o teu anel primeiro.
Chora a videira,
Chora a videirinha,
Dá cá um beijo,
Ó prenda minha.
Chora a videira
E à videira chora,
O meu amor
Que se vai embora.
Tu passas por mim
Não me falas,
Guarda respeito a alguém,
Podes passar e falar,
Respeitar quem te quer.
Chora a videira,
Chora a videirinha,
Chora a videira,
Ó prenda minha.
Chora a videira
E à videira chora,
Adeus amor
Que me vou embora …
The Vine
Cries the vine,
The vine weeps,
Cries the vine
What is going away ...
Oh vine, give me a bunch,
Oh cluster, gives me a grape,
He gave a nod to the eyes,
He gave her mouth a little kiss.
Cries the vine
And the vine weeps,
Cries the vine
What is going away ...
Cries the vine,
Let her cry
Cries the vine,
Will leave us.
Love, be love
There should not be selfish
If you want my covenant,
Give me your ring first.
Cries the vine,
Cries the pusher,
Give me a kiss
Oh my gift.
Cries the vine
And the vine weeps,
My love
What is going away.
You pass by me
Do not talk to me,
Guard respect to someone,
You can go and talk,
Respect who you want.
Cries the vine,
Cries the pusher,
Cries the vine,
Oh my gift.
Cries the vine
And the vine weeps,
Goodbye love
I'm leaving ...
“Green corn” is a popular song from Beira
Baixa, other region of Portugal.
It talks about the gathering of the corn and
the love.
As you can see love is always present.
This version is singed by Zeca Afonso, one
of our great singers.
“Milho Verde”
Milho verde
Milho verde, milho verde
Milho verde maçaroca
À sombra do milho verde
Namorei uma cachopa
Milho verde, milho verde
Milho verde miudinho
À sombra do milho verde
Namorei um rapazinho
Milho verde, milho verde
Milho verde folha larga
À sombra do milho verde
Namorei uma casada
Mondadeiras do meu milho
Mondai o meu milho bem
Não olheis para o caminho
Que a merenda já lá vem
Green Corn
Corn, green corn
Green corn cob
In the shadow of green corn
I dated a girl
Green corn, green corn
Green small corn
In the shadow of green corn
I dated a boy
Green corn, green corn
Broadleaf green corn
In the shadow of green corn
I dated a married women
Gatherer of my corn
Well gather my corn
Do not look to the path
That there is already lunch
And we can search more and more and we
find always the same.
Love to be sung with the cycles of crops.
Something that is possibly due to the parties
that would take place at the end of them.
Bibliography
http://www.losacordes.com/piano/musica-popular-portuguesa/a-rama
http://dlac.utad.pt/SiteLiteratura/Valpacos%20-%20Vassal_CL2.pdf
http://natura.di.uminho.pt/~jj/musica/html/zecafonso-milhoVerde.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLs4b2m3Dg&feature=player_detailpage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh0co2F-Q8c