NEGRO ESCRAVO

Faz muito tempo
Me dói só de lembrar

Que o negro era escravo
Apanhava sem parar

Acordava bem cedinho
E com a dor da chibatada

Que ardia e não passava
Ia pro mato trabalhar

Trabalhava noite e dia
Não sonhava e mal dormia

E nem tinha tempo pra rezar
Por causa de tanta angústia

O negro fez uma luta
E fingiu ser uma dança

Pra poder se libertar
Assustada com essa dança

Que tinha gosto de vingança
A polícia proibiu

E tentou acabar assim
Com a capoeira no Brasil

Mas nada disso adiantou
A capoeira foi mais forte

Venceu o ódio e se firmou
O negro agora é livre

O pesadelo já passou
Capoeira hoje é vida

É arte, é poesia
É mistério, é sentimento

É vontade de vencer
É vontade de cantar

BLACK SLAVE

It been a long time,
it hurts me to remember

that the Black man was enslaved
He was beaten non-stop

He woke up very early
with the pain of being whipped

It burned and the pain did not pass
He worked in the fields

He worked night and day
He did not dream and slept badly
Nor did he have time to pray.

Because of so much anguish,
the Black Men created a fight

and disguised it as a dance
in order to become free

They (police) were afraid this dance
that had a taste of revenge

The police prohibited (the practice)
and tried to put an end

to Capoeira in Brazil
But they could not stop it.

Capoeira was stronger
It won over hatred and was firm
The Black people were now free.

The nightmare has already passed
Today, Capoeira is life

It is art, it is poetry
it is mystery, it is feeling

It is the will to win,
It is the will to sing.