Nega Neguinha [English translation]

Girl, girl, little girl

Girl, girl, little girl

Not even Zumbi1 would stop you from being mine

Oh mom, my mom, my dear mom

In the slave quarters, my room

I'm protected by Oxalá2

Queen Iansan2's anxiety

Girl, I am your man

Come and clap, girl

Let's make some drums in the kitchen

'If this girl were mine

I would teach her how to live

I'd give her beans with flour

All week long

For her to eat'

She comes from the capoeira3

On foot, a whole half

In Pelourinho4, my hair is stirred up

A mass, quimbanda5, poetry

Aruandê, arandá

I'll sing because

Singing is a letter of manumission6

'Women are like snakes

They have poison in their blood

They make a rich man turn into a poor man

They make the poor man shameless'

The former carnation now is a rose

The subject of your whims

Samba, at the lambada

The king of Congo is at the congada7

He already has a painful look in his face

Let me be your savior

Please want to be my Bahia

Zumbi is at the capoeira, at the jongo8

Zumbi is at the capoeira, at the jongo

Clap your hands, Zumbi, at the mess

Clap your hands, Zumbi, batmacumba9

1. Zumbi dos Palmares, the last of the leaders of the Quilombo dos Palmares, a fugitive settlement in the present-day state of Alagoas, Brazil2. a. b. In the Yoruba religion: the Orisha (representation of God) associated to the creation of the world of the human race3. Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics and music4. Historic neighborhood located in the western zone of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil5. An Afro-Brazilian religion practiced primarily in the urban city centers of Brazil. Quimbanda practices are typically associated with magic, rituals involving animal sacrifice and marginal locations, exus, and pomba gira spirits6. The act of a slave owner freeing his or her slaves7. An afro-Brazilian celebration that recreates the coronation of the Congolese king8. A dance and musical genre of black communities from southeast Brazil9. A reference to the song 'Bat Macumba'