Não sei porque te foste embora

I don't know why you went away

As so often in fado, this song tells the story of a lost love. 'I don’t know why you went away…’, sings Amália to the absent beloved. Again, as is so common in fado, the song depicts a complex and conflicted world of powerful emotion, in which the individual is torn between two contrasting desires. There is an evident dichotomy between head and heart, between a rational quest to forget, and an emotional pull to remember. As always in fado, it is the heart which wins the battle.

Amália, who, as I mentioned in my introductory post, Tudo isto é fado, is considered the ultimate grande dame of fado, was at the height of her fame when she sang this song. This particular clip is taken from the Portuguese film Capas Negras, of 1947. The film is set in Coimbra, and relates the lives and loves of a group of university students, the capas negras of the title referring to the black cloaks traditionally worn by the students of the University of Coimbra. The 1940s was a golden age for Portuguese cinema, with the state sponsoring cinematic projects as nationalistic propaganda, which made it possible for fado to move out of the taverns and onto the big screen, reaching a wider audience than ever before. It was in Capas Negras that Amália made her acting debut, and this film is still considered one of the most significant successes of Portuguese cinema.

Amália sings here directly to her lover, as she struggles to understand his absence, and her own feelings about him. She claims to have no interest in him now. She doesn’t know whether he still thinks of her, and she doesn’t care. She is not waiting for him, and she doesn’t want to see or speak to him again. So why is she insisting so much? As always, the truth is revealed in the final refrain. She does not want to see him again, not because she has ceased to desire him, but because she does not want him to see how she really feels; to see that her love, which he does not desire, desires only his love…

Amália Rodrigues singing Não sei porque te foste embora:





Não sei porque te foste embora
não sei porque te foste embora
não sei que mal te fiz, que importa
só sei que o dia corre e aquela hora
não sei porque não vens bater-me à porta

não sei se gostas d'outra agora
se eu estou ou não p'ra ti já morta
não sei não sei nem me interessa
não me sais é da cabeça
que não vê que eu te esqueci
não sei não sei o que é isto
já não gosto e não resisto
não te quero e penso em ti

não quero este meu querer no peito
não quero esperar por ti nem espero
não quero que me queiras contrafeito
nem quero que tu penses que eu te quero
depois deste meu querer desfeito
nem quero o teu amor sincero
não quero mais encontrar-te
nem ouvir-te nem falar-te
nem sentir o teu calor
porque eu não quero que vejas
que este amor que não desejas
só deseja o teu amor

porque eu não quero que vejas
que este amor que não desejas
só deseja o teu amor


Je ne sais pourquoi tu es parti
Je ne sais pourquoi tu es parti
Quel mal je t’ai fait, qu’importe
Je sais seulement que les jours passent, et qu’à cette heure
Je ne sais pas pourquoi tu ne viens pas battre à ma porte

Je ne sais si tu aimes une autre maintenant
Si je suis pour toi déjà morte, ou pas
Je ne sais, je ne sais, et ça ne m’intéresse pas
Tu ne sors pas de ma tête
Qui ne voit pas que je t’ai oublié
Je ne sais, je ne sais, ce que c’est
Déjà je n’aime plus, je ne résiste plus
Je ne te veux pas, je ne pense pas à toi

Je ne veux pas de ce désir dans mon cœur
Je ne veux pas t’attendre, et je ne t’attends pas
Je ne veux pas que tu me désires à contre cœur
Je ne veux pas que tu penses que je te veux
Puisque mon désir s’est défait
Je ne veux pas de ton amour, même sincère
Je ne veux plus te rencontrer
Ni t’entendre, ni te parler
Ni sentir ta chaleur
Parce que je ne veux pas que tu voies
Que cet amour que tu ne désires pas
Ne désire que ton amour

Parce que je ne veux pas que tu voies
Que cet amour que tu ne désires pas
Ne désire que ton amour


I don’t know why you went away
I don’t know why you went away
I don’t know what I did wrong, what does it matter?
I only know that days go by, and at this moment
I don’t know why you don’t come knocking on my door

I don’t know if you love another now
Whether or not, for you, I am already dead
I don’t know, I don’t know, nor does it interest me
The memory of you does not leave my mind -
It does not know that I have forgotten you
I don’t know, I don’t know what this is
I no longer love and no longer resist
I do not want you, nor do I think of you

I do not want this desire in my heart
I do not want to wait for you, and nor do I wait
I do not want you to want me against your will
Nor do I want you to think that I want you
After my wanting has been undone
I do not want your sincere love
I do not want to meet you again
Nor hear you, nor speak to you
Nor feel your warmth
Because I do not want you to see
That this love which you do not desire
Desires only your love

Because I do not want you to see
That this love which you do not desire
Desires only your love

Não venhas tarde!

Don’t be late!

This is one of my all-time favourite fados. The story of a man caught between two loves, the protagonist sings of the gentle loyalty and tenderness of his wife, her constant warmth and acceptance in always welcoming him home, even as her heart burns with jealousy. All the while, he acknowledges his own weakness, his inability to abandon the other woman, and give his wife the love she deserves.

This song was a great success for Carlos Ramos. Born in Lisbon in 1907, Ramos was one of the earliest fadistas to achieve fame within his native land. Invariably accompanying himself on the Portuguese guitar, he became a regular fixture in the fado houses of Lisbon in the 1940s and 1950s, which were then at the height of their success. You can hear in this song the sincerity and warmth of Ramos’ voice.


‘Don’t be late!’, his wife calls tenderly from the window. Yet he arrives home every day later still, possessing neither the strength, the will-power nor the courage to flee from the lover who has such a powerful hold on his heart. Although we may be tempted to condemn his actions, the sadness in his voice inspires only pity. He confesses that he is afraid; he recognises the vulnerability in his position. Ironically, since he never knows where his wife is going, perhaps, one day, he will arrive early, but it will be too late…

Carlos Ramos singing Não venhas tarde:







Não venhas tarde!
Não venhas tarde!
Dizes-me tu com carinho,
Sem nunca fazer alarde
Do que me pedes, baixinho.

Não venhas tarde!,
E eu peço a deus que no fim
Teu coração ainda guarde
Um pouco de amor por mim.

Tu sabes bem
Que eu vou p'ra outra mulher,
Que ela me prende também,
Que eu só faço o que ela quer,
Tu estás sentindo
Que te minto e sou cobarde,
Mas sabes dizer, sorrindo,
Meu amor, não venhas tarde!

Não venhas tarde!
Dizes-me sem azedume,
Quando o teu coração arde
Na fogueira do ciúme.

Não venhas tarde!
Dizes-me tu da janela,
E eu venho sempre mais tarde,
Porque não sei fugir dela

Tu sabes bem
Que eu vou p'ra outra mulher,
Que ela me prende também,
Que eu só faço o que ela quer,

Sem alegria,
Eu confesso, tenho medo,
Que tu me digas um dia,
Meu amor, não venhas cedo!

Por ironia,
Pois nunca sei onde vais,
Que eu chegue cedo algum dia,
E seja tarde demais!


Ne viens pas tard !
Ne viens pas tard,
Me dis-tu avec tendresse
Sans jamais faire des histoires
Tu me le demandes, doucement

Ne viens pas tard !
Et je demande à Dieu, qu’à la fin
Ton cœur gardera toujours
Un peu d’amour pour moi

Tu sais bien
Que je vais vers une autre femme
Que je suis liée à elle aussi
Et que je fais tout ce qu’elle veut

Tu sens
Que je te mens et que je suis lâche
Mais tu sais quand-même dire, souriante
Mon amour, ne viens pas tard!

Ne viens pas tard!
Me dis-tu, sans amertume
Alors que ton cœur brûle
Avec le feu de la jalousie

Ne viens pas tard!
Me dis-tu de la fenêtre
Et je viens chaque fois plus tard
Parce que je ne sais comment la fuir

Tu sais bien
Que je vais vers une autre femme
Que je suis liée à elle aussi
Et que je fais tout ce qu’elle veut

Sans joie,
Je confesse que j’ai peur
Que tu me dises un jour
Mon amour, ne viens pas tôt!

L’ironie, c’est que,
Puisque je ne sais jamais où tu vas
J’arriverai peut-être tôt un jour
Et il sera déjà trop tard.


Don’t be late!
Don’t be late!
You say to me, tenderly
Without ever making a fuss
You just ask of me, softly

Don’t be late!
And I beg of God that, in the end
Your heart will still keep
A little love for me

You know well
That I am going to another woman
That she too has captured me
And that I only do what she wishes

You are feeling
That I am lying to you, and am a coward
Yet you know how to say, still smiling,
My love, don’t be late!

Don’t be late,
You say to me, without bitterness
Whilst your heart is burning
With the fire of jealousy

Don’t be late,
You say to me, from the window
But I arrive every time later still
Because I don’t know how to escape from her

You know well
That I am going to another woman
That she too has captured me
And that I only do what she wishes

Joylessly,
I confess that I am afraid
That you will say to me one day,
My love, don’t be early!

Ironically,
Since I never know where you are going
Perhaps I will arrive early one day
And it will be too late.

Canção do Mar

The Song of the Sea

We remain with our gaze firmly directed towards the open seas with this fado, Canção do Mar, or the Song of the Sea. This track makes use of the music already popularised by Amália’s much earlier hit, Solidão (of which more in a future post), and was an immense success both in Portugal and internationally (it apparently featured in the Hollywood film, Primal Fear, in 1996). Whilst I would argue that these lyrics don’t have the narrative appeal or emotional punch of the original fado, this version retains the haunting allure of the earlier song, whilst also offering a new and striking creative energy.

Dulce Pontes, who sings here, is an important figure in the recent history of fado. Coming to the attention of her compatriots with her first album in the early 1990s, Pontes played a significant role in re-invigorating what was at the time a dying genre, in bringing fado to a generation which was rapidly turning away from tradition. Throughout her career, she has embraced a huge variety of musical styles, blending fado with traditional music from around the world, and has been particularly inspired by influences from Arabic and Bulgarian sounds.

As with the previous fado, Canoas do Tejo, water plays a starring role in this song, but the waves here are quite different from those which gently dance on the river Tejo. Here, the ocean takes on a menacing aspect; cruel and roaring, it accuses the fadista of trying to steal the light from her beloved eyes. Once again, the movement of the waves leads to the image of dancing, as both the fadista and her boat sway and bob on the swell of the sea… smiling, singing, and dreaming.


Canção do Mar



Music: Ferrer Trindade
Lyrics: Frederico de Brito


Canção do Mar
Fui bailar no meu batel
Além no mar cruel
E o mar bramindo
Diz que eu fui roubar
A luz sem par
Do teu olhar tão lindo.

Vem saber se o mar terá razão
Vem cá ver bailar meu coraçao

Se eu bailar no meu batel
Não vou ao mar cruel
E nem lhe digo aonde eu fui cantar
Sorrir, bailar, viver, sonhar...contigo.


La Chanson de la Mer
J’étais allée danser sur mon bateau
Là-bas, sur la mer cruelle
Et la mer mugissante
A dit que j’étais allée voler
La lumière hors pair
De ton si beau regard

Viens découvrir si la mer a raison
Viens-là, voir danser mon cœur

Si je danse sur mon bateau
Je n’irai pas à la mer cruelle
Ni ne lui dirai où je suis allée chanter
Sourire, danser, vivre, rêver… avec toi.



The Song of the Sea
I went to dance on my ship
Yonder on the cruel sea
And the roaring sea
Said that I went to steal
The peerless light
Of your so lovely eyes

Come and discover whether the sea is right
Come here to see my heart dance

If I dance in my ship
I will not go out to the cruel sea
And neither will I tell where I went to sing
To smile, to dance, to live, to dream... with you.

Canoas do Tejo

Boats of the Tejo

Perched on the most Western tip of Europe, and gazing out at the Atlantic, Portugal is a country with a rich seafaring history. In Lisbon in particular, it is difficult to go anywhere without appreciating that the ocean is an ever-present source of sustenance and inspiration to the city, and to Portugal as a whole.

So it is hardly surprising that the sea plays such an important role in national identity and culture, nor that it should be such a recurring theme in fado. Traditionally, the earliest fados in Lisbon were associated with sailors singing of the loneliness of life at sea, or of the seemingly incomprehensible cruelty of the ocean. Just as frequently, the sea is used symbolically, as we have already seen, for instance, in Fado Perdiçao, in which the unfathomable immensity of the ocean is often used metaphorically to depict the mystery and profundity of human emotion.

In this song, we have a more literal appeal to life on the waves, as the fadista addresses the boats which sail down the river Tagus, around the curves of Lisbon and out towards the Atlantic. A declaration of love to the Tejo, the sea, and those who sail on them, this fado is also a celebration of Portugal’s capital, sung by one of the greats of Lisbon fado, Carlos do Carmo. Born in the Mouraria in 1939, the son of fado-house runner, Carlos do Carmo is clearly steeped in the traditions of Lisbon fado, and specialises in songs celebrating his native city. In this fado, he sings directly to a boat gliding on the waters, evoking the wind against the cliffs, the dance of the waves, and the gentle cries of a guitar, which seem to arrive within the ocean breeze…






Canoas do Tejo
Canoa de vela erguida,
Que vens do Cais da Ribeira,
Gaivota, que andas perdida,
Sem encontrar companheira

O vento sopra nas fragas,
O Sol parece um morango,
E o Tejo baila com as vagas
A ensaiar um fandango

Canoa,
Conheces bem
Quando há norte pela proa,
Quantas voltas tem Lisboa,
E as muralhas que ela tem

Canoa,
Por onde vais?
Se algum barco te abalroa,
Nunca mais voltas ao cais,
Nunca, nunca, nunca mais

Canoa de vela panda,
Que vens da boca da barra,
E trazes na aragem branda
Gemidos de uma guitarra

Teu arrais prendeu a vela,
E se adormeceu, deixa-lo
Agora muita cautela,
Não vá o mar acordá-lo

Canoa,
Conheces bem
Quando há norte pela proa,
Quantas voltas tem Lisboa,
E as muralhas que ela tem

Canoa,
Por onde vais?
Se algum barco te abalroa,
Nunca mais voltas ao cais,
Nunca, nunca, nunca mais

Por onde vais?
Se algum barco te abalroa,
Nunca mais voltas ao cais,
Nunca, nunca, nunca mais


Les Voiliers du Tage
Voilier, aux voiles déployées
Tu viens du bord de la rivière
Mouette, qui s’en va, perdue
Sans trouver de la compagnie

Le vent souffle sur les falaises
Le soleil ressemble à une fraise
Et le Tage danse avec les vagues
Répétant un fandango

Voilier,
Tu sais bien
Quand la proue se dirige vers le nord
Combien de virages Lisbonne possède
Et combien de remparts

Voilier,
Où vas-tu ?
Si un autre bateau te heurtait
Tu ne reviendrais plus jamais au bord
Jamais, jamais, jamais plus

Voilier à double voile
Tu viens de la bouche de l’océan
Et tu apportes dans la douce brise
Les plaintes d’une guitare

Ton capitaine a affalé la voile
Et s’est endormi, laisse-le
Maintenant, très prudemment
La mer ne le réveillera pas

Voilier,
Tu sais bien
Quand la proue se dirige vers le nord
Combien de virages Lisbonne possède
Et combien de remparts

Voilier,
Où vas-tu ?
Si un autre bateau te heurtait
Tu ne reviendrais plus jamais au bord
Jamais, jamais, jamais plus



Sailing boats of the Tejo
Sailing boat, with your sails raised
You come from the river bank
Seagull, you fly on, lost
Without finding company

The wind blows on the cliffs
The sun seems like a strawberry
And the river Tejo dances with the waves
Practising a fandango

Sailing boat,
You know well,
When the bow is pointing North
How many turns has Lisbon
And how many ramparts

Sailing boat,
Where are you going?
If some other ship were to collide with you
You would never return to the riverside
Never, never, never again

Sailing boat, with your twin sails
You come from the mouth of the sea,
And you bring, with the gentle breeze,
The moans of a guitar

Your skipper fastened the sail
And went to sleep, leave him there
And now, going carefully,
The sea will not awaken him

Sailing boat,
You know well,
When the bow is pointing North
How many turns has Lisbon
How many walls she has

Sailing boat,
Where are you going?
If some boat were to collide with you
You would never return to the riverside
Never, never, never again

Amor de mel, amor de fel

Honey and Bile

Today’s fado brings together love mingled with sin, honey mixed with bile, flowers tarnished with tears, and, as always, an inner struggle with ultimately overpowering emotions, which leaves the both the fadista and the audience exhausted. The best of fado!

This version is interpreted by another young fadista, Kátia Guerreiro. Guerreiro was born in South Africa in 1976 before moving to the Azores as a child and ultimately to Lisbon. She was always musical, learning to play the viola da terra as a child (the traditional instrument of the Azores), and as a student she sung with a band dedicated to 1960s Portuguese pop, Os Charruas, but claimed that it was only gradually that she came to realise her talent as a fadista. Having originally studied medicine at Lisbon, she is also a qualified doctor, and initially seemed reluctant to forsake her medical career for that of a fadista. Thankfully for fado addicts, she chose the latter.

Amor de mel, amor de fel, deals with a love which the fadista is battling to supress. We know only that this love is sinful, that she cannot confess it, only cry over it. Defined by opposites, it is a love which has the sweetness of honey, the freshness of a flower, but also the bitterness of bile and the darkness of sin. And whilst she tells us that she cannot allow herself to continue loving her sinful love, there is more than a hint of triumphant rebellion against her own efforts to stifle her feelings. No matter how sinful, the protagonist cannot help but feel exultation, even pride, in a love which has the power to make even the ocean seem grander than it is…

Kátia Guerreiro:





I am making an exception and including two, equally beautiful, but very different versions of this fado, the first by Kátia Guerreiro and the second by António Zambujo. I must admit that Guerreiro’s larger-than-life performance style is not always my cup of tea, but she certainly has a powerful and deeply impressive voice, whose potency is really brought to the fore by the vocal challenges of this song. Zabujo’s version is, as ever, understated and restrained, shot through with the tension of repressed desire. Enjoy!


António Zambujo:





Amor de mel, amor de fel

Tenho um amor
Que não posso confessar...
Mas posso chorar
Amor pecado, amor de amor,
Amor de mel, amor de flor,
Amor de fel, amor maior,
Amor amado!

Tenho um amor
Amor de dor, amor maior,
Amor chorado em tom menor
Em tom menor, maior o Fado!
Choro a chorar
Tornando maior o mar
Não posso deixar de amar
O meu amor em pecado!

Foi andorinha
Que chegou na Primavera,
Eu era quem era!
Amor pecado, amor de amor,
Amor de mel, amor de flor,
Amor de fel, amor maior,
Amor amado!

Tenho um amor
Amor de dor, amor maior,
Amor chorado em tom menor
Em tom menor, maior o Fado!
Choro a chorar
Tornando maior o mar
Não posso deixar de amar
O meu amor em pecado!

Fado maior
Cantado em tom de menor
Chorando o amor de dor
Dor de um bem e mal amado!



Amour de miel, amour de fiel

J’ai un amour
Que je ne peux confesser
Mais je peux pleurer
Amour de péché, amour d’amour
Amour de miel, amour de fleur
Amour de fiel, grand amour
Amour que j’ai aimé

J’ai un amour
Amour de douleur, grand amour
Amour que j’ai pleuré en mineur
En ton mineur, majeur le Fado
Je pleure à pleurer
Rendant la mer plus grande
Je ne peux pas me permettre d’aimer
Mon amour-péché

J’étais une hirondelle
Qui est arrivée au printemps
J’étais ce que j’étais
Amour de péché, amour d’amour
Amour de miel, amour de fleur
Amour de fiel, grand amour
Amour que j’ai aimé !

J’ai un amour
Amour de douleur, grand amour
Amour que j’ai pleuré en mineur
En ton mineur, majeur le Fado
Je pleure à pleurer
Rendant la mer plus grande
Je ne peux pas me permettre d’aimer
Mon amour-péché

Grand fado
Chanté en ton mineur
Pleurant l’amour de douleur
Douleur d’être bien et mal aimé !



Love of honey, love of bile

I have a love
Which I cannot confess
But I can cry
Love of sin,
Love of love
Love of honey, love of flowers
Love of bile, immense love
Love which I have loved!

I have a love
A love of pain, a great love
Love cried on a minor ton
On a minor tone, fado is major
I cry upon crying
Making the sea greater still
I cannot allow myself to love
My sinful love

I was a swallow
Who arrived in springtime
I was what I was
Love of sin,
Love of love
Love of honey, love of flowers
Love of bile, immense love
Love which I have loved!

I have a love
A love of pain, a great love
Love cried on a minor tone
On a minor tone, fado is major
I cry upon crying
Making the sea greater still
I cannot allow myself to love
My sinful love

Great fado
Sung on a minor tone
Crying this love of pain
Pain of being well and badly loved!



A note of the translations: This fado caused quite a few conundrums with respect to the English translation, and I’m not at all sure that I resolved them convincingly. The mel and fel of the originally (honey and bile) simply doesn’t have the same resonance in the English. Equally, the maior and menor (major and minor) of the Portuguese, playing on the musical as well as more general meanings of the terms, hasn’t really come across in the translation. Any suggestions for improvements would be most welcome!