Lá
- 1) There.
- 2) Simply a meaningless sound used as song filler, as la la la is in English
1) Quem vem lá? Sou eu / Quem vem lá? Sou eu
Who goes there? It’s me. / Who goes there? It’s me
2) Ô lá lá ê, lá lá ê lá lá ê lá / Ô lá lá ê, lá lá ê lá lá ê lá / Ô lê lê / Lá lá ê lá
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.
Legal
- 1) Legal.
- 2) Good, great, cool.
É legal, é legal / Jogar capoeira é um negócio legal
It’s great, it’s great / Playing capoeira is great
Lemba
- Corruption of Elégba or Elégbará, one of the names of the African deity Exu.
Lemba ê, Lemba / Lemba do Barro Vermelho
Lemba ê, Lemba / Lemba of the Barro Vermelho
Lembrar
- To remember.
Aconteceu, até hoje eu me lembro
Numa sexta-feira treze Mestre Pastinha morreu
It happened, I remember to this day
On Friday the 13th Mestre Pastinha died
Lição
- Lesson.
Sou discípulo que aprende, meu mestre me dá lição
I am a student who learns, my master gives me lessons
Licurí
- A wild palm tree with small coconuts, common in the dry regions of northern Brazil.
Quem nunca viu venha ver / Licurí quebra dendê
Whoever has never seen, come see / The licurí tree break dendê
Ligeiro - Ligeira
- Quick, speedy.
Ô ligeiro, ligeiro / Eu também sou ligeiro
Oh quick, quick / I am also quick
Louvação
- See chula.
Louvar
- To praise.
Quando eu aqui cheguei, a todos eu vim louvar
Vim louvar a Deus primeiro, e os moradores deste lugar
When I arrived here, I came to praise everyone
I praise God first, and then the inhabitants of this place
Lua
- Moon.
Eu já vivo enjoado de viver aqui na terra
Ô mamãe eu vou pra lua
I’m sick of living here on earth
Oh mother, I’m going to the moon
Luanda
- The capitol of the African nation of Angola (see entry for Angola). A port city, formerly a point of exportation of slaves.
Se eu da Bahia eu me cansar
Vou m'embora pra lá pra Luanda
If I get tired of Bahia
I'll go away, over there to Luanda
Lutar
- To fight, to battle.
Zumbi é nosso heroi, em Palmares foi senhor
Pela causa do homem negro foi ele que mais lutou
Apesar de tanta luta, o negro não se libertou
Zumbi is our hero, he was the leader of Palmares
It was he who fought the most for the cause of the black man
Despite so many battles, the black man was not freed
