Vim lá da Bahia

This song makes references to many places in Brasil where the singer went to experience capoeira. Anywhere you see that text of “Coro” is an indication that the chorus will reply there.

There are two choruses that can be sung. The first one, below, is typically the first verse sung by the lead singer as well. After this first occasion, after which the chorus will repeat after the lead singer, this chorus is triggered by lead singer every time that person ends any of their verses with “eu vim”.

There’s also a second chorus that comes as a repetition of what the lead sings:

Letras	English Translation
Vinha da Bahia pra lhe ver, vinha	I was coming from Bahia to see you, I was
Da da Bahia pra lhe ver	From Bahia to see you
Vim da da Bahia pra lhe ver	I came from Bahia to see you
Pra lhe ver, pra lhe ver, pra lhe ver, pra lhe ver, pra lhe ver	To see you, to see you, to see you, to see you, to see you

There is also a second chorus that can occur as a repetition of lead singer when they only sing the following:

Letras

Pra lhe ver, pra lhe ver, pra lhe ver, pra lhe ver, pra lhe ver

Here are all the lyrics below.

Letras	English Translation
Vim lá da Bahia pra lhe ver	I came from Bahia to see you
Vim lá da Bahia pra lhe ver	I came from Bahia to see you
Vim lá da Bahia pra lhe ver	I came from Bahia to see you
Pra lhe ver, pra lhe ver, pra lhe ver, pra lhe ver	To see you, to see you, to see you, to see you
Coro	Chorus
Tava lá no alto da Ribeira	I was up there in Ribeira
Na Bahia que é terra de muito axé	In Bahia, the land full of axé (life force/energy)
Minha mãe é uma grande lavadeira	My mother is a great washerwoman
O meu pai nos aprendera na colheita do café	My father taught us in the coffee harvest
Coro	Chorus
Minha jangada vem pro Rio de Janeiro	My raft comes to Rio de Janeiro
Vem até Salomé e São Tropé	It goes as far as Salomé and Saint-Tropez
Vem que eu sou um bom jangadeiro	It comes, for I am a good raftsman
Também sou um capoeira vim aqui só pra lhe ver	I am also a capoeirista, I came here only to see you
Coro	Chorus
Chegar ao Rio de Janeiro	Arriving in Rio de Janeiro
Terra com clima genial	Land with a wonderful climate
Trouxe de lembrança pra você um atabaque	I brought you a souvenir an atabaque drum
Um pandeiro e também trouxe um berimbau	A pandeiro and I also brought a berimbau
Coro	Chorus
Para na Baía de Guanabara	Dock in Guanabara Bay
De frente ao farol Cristo Redentor	Facing the Christ the Redeemer statue
Me deu fome eu comi o Pão de Açúcar	I got hungry and ate the Sugarloaf Mountain
Fui pra Barra da Tijuca só pra ver o meu amor	I went to Barra da Tijuca only to see my love

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