What kinds of songs are sung?

Capoeira songs fall into four main categories: ladainhas, chulas, corridos, and quadras. Capoeira angola uses ladainhas, chulas, and corridos. Mestre Bimba's capoeira regional used primarily quadras and corridos. Capoeira contemporânea uses primarily corridos, though some groups use ladainhas and chulas when playing to the angola toque on the berimbau.

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Ladainha

The word "ladainha" means "litany." It is a long solo with no chorus response; the ladainha begins the roda. During it, the players do not play; they remain crouched and listening at the foot of the berimbau. The ladainha may be sung by one of the players who is about to enter the roda. In some groups, only the berimbaus (and sometimes also the pandeiros) play during the ladainha; the other instruments join in during the chula/louvação. The ladainha typically recounts history, tells a myth, or transmits a message. They can range from only a couple lines to over 20. Some examples:

Iê, maior é Deus (2x)	Iê, God is great (2x)
Pequeno sou eu	I am small
Tudo que eu tenho, foi Deus que me deu	Everything that I have, God gave to me
Na roda de capoeira	In the capoeira roda
Grande pequeno sou eu, camaradinha	I am a great small person, comrade

 

Iê, a história nos engana	History deceives us
Diz tudo pelo contrario	It tells everything contrary
Até diz que abolição	It even says that the abolition of slavery
Aconteceu no mês de maio	Occurred in the month of May
A prova dessa mentira	The proof of this lie
É que a miséria não sai	Is that the misery doesn't go away
Viva vinte de novembro	Long live November 20th
Momento pra se lembrar	A moment to remember
Eu não vejo no treze de maio	I see nothing in May 13th
Nada pra comemorar	Nothing to celebrate
Muitos anos se passaram	Many years passed
O negro sempre a lutar	The black man always fighting
Zumbi é nosso herói	Zumbi is our hero
Do Palmares foi senhor	He was the ruler of Palmares
Pela causa do homen negro	For the cause of the black man
Foi ele que mais lutou	It was he who fought the most
Apesar de tanta luta	Despite so many battles
O negro não se libertou, camará	The black man was not freed, comrade.

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Chula (Louvação)

"Chula" or "louvação" means "praise." The chula immediately follows the ladainha and consists of single lines sung by the leader alternated with the chorus response, which repeats the leader’s line beginning with “iê” and ending with “camará.” It can be as few or as many lines as the leader wants. The lines of the chula vary depending on the message that the leader wants to send, but the chula is usually praise or tribute to a geographical location, a historical person or saint or orixá, the group’s mestre/lineage of capoeira, one or both of the players, etc. Below is an example of how the chula might progress (chorus response in blue):

Iê viva meu Deus	Long live my God
Iê, viva meu Deus, camará	Long live my God, comrade
Iê viva meu mestre	Long live my master
Iê, viva meu mestre, camará	Long live my master, comrade
Iê quem me ensinou	Who taught me
Iê, quem me ensinou, camará	Who taught me, comrade
Iê menino é bom	The boy is good
Iê, menino é bom, camará	The boy is good, comrade
Iê sabe jogar	He knows how to play
Iê, sabe jogar, camará	He knows how to play, comrade
Iê capoeira	Capoeira
Iê, capoeira, camará	Capoeira, comrade
Iê vamos embora	Let's go
Iê, vamos embora, camará	Let's go, comrade

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Corrido