Ijexá e a Dança do Negro

Ijexá is a drumming rhythm that’s used in Candomblé, an Afro-Brasilian religion which has some strong associations in the roots and culture of capoeira.

In this song, there are a number of what you could call “inserts”, either by the lead singer or the chorus, that happen by one side as the other is singing. Those parts are indicated in parentheses and they occur as placed between their surrounding lines. Aside from that, the chorus to each of the lines sung by the leader are listed in italics.

One thing to note here is that it’s not a requirement to sing the song in this order once you start at the beginning. Sometimes people sing the “meu povo….” verse before singing the verse that starts with “quando o meu mestre passar..”, and that’s okay. Generally, we suggest trying it out to find out what sounds good to you and what the audience responds to best.

Letras	English Translation
Ijexá e a dança do negro	Ijexá is the dance of Black people
Ijexá e a dança do negro	Ijexá is the dance of Black people
E o negro é, é nagô	And the Black man is Nagô
E o negro é, é nagô	And the Black man is Nagô
E vai	Here we go
Coro:	Chorus:
Vai, vai, vai cair	Go, go, you're gonna fall
(o lider: Beleza, beleza)	(Leader: All right, all right)
Vai, vai, vai cair	Go, go, you're gonna fall
(o lider: Isso é capoeira)	(Leader: This is capoeira)
Vai, vai, vai cair	Go, go, you're gonna fall
Quando o meu mestre passar	When my mestre passes
(Coro: Passar)	(Chorus: Passes)
Batam palma, ascenando para o ar	Clap your hands, waving into the air
(Coro: Para o ar, para o ar)	(Chorus: To the air, to the air)
Mas não se esqueça do que ele falou	But don't forget what he said
(Coro: Falou)	(Chorus: He said)
Toque pandeiro, berimbau, toque agogô	Play the pandeiro, berimbau, play the agogô
Toque pandeiro, berimbau, toque agogô	Play the pandeiro, berimbau, play the agogô
Meu povo que beleza	My people, how beautiful
E a dança capoeira com certeza	It's the capoeira dance, for sure
Meu povo que beleza	My people, how beautiful
E a dança capoeira com certeza	It's the capoeira dance, for sure

Interested in learning more about capoeira? Check out our other blog posts here.