Grândola, Vila Morena

"Grândola, Vila Morena"
Song by Zeca Afonso
Written	1972
Writer(s)	Zeca Afonso
Language	Portuguese

"Grândola, Vila Morena" is a Portuguese song by Zeca Afonso, that tells of the fraternity among the people of Grândola, a town in the Alentejo region of Portugal.

Carnation Revolution

While Salazar's Estado Novo regime banned a number of Zeca Afonso's songs from being played or broadcast, as they were considered to be associated with Communism, Grandola, Vila Morena was not one of these. At a concert in Lisbon on the 24 March 1974 Zeca Afonso played this song, the audience joined in enthusiastically, uniting the crowd as one. For this reason, on 25 April 1974, at 12:20AM the song was broadcast on the Portuguese radio station Rádio Renascença as a signal to start the revolution that overthrew the authoritarian government of Marcello Caetano; it thus became commonly associated with the Carnation Revolution and the beginning of democratic rule in Portugal. It was the second signal to start the coup, the first being E Depois do Adeus ("And after the farewell"), the Portuguese entry in the Eurovision Song Contest of 1974, performed in Portuguese by Paulo de Carvalho.

First performance

Grândola was first sung at a Zeca Afonso concert in Galicia's capital of Santiago de Compostela, on 10 May 1972.

Lyrics

Grândola, vila morena Terra da fraternidade O povo é quem mais ordena Dentro de ti, ó cidade Dentro de ti, ó cidade O povo é quem mais ordena Terra da fraternidade Grândola, vila morena Em cada esquina um amigo Em cada rosto igualdade Grândola, vila morena Terra da fraternidade Terra da fraternidade Grândola, vila morena Em cada rosto igualdade O povo é quem mais ordena À sombra duma azinheira Que já não sabia a idade Jurei ter por companheira Grândola a tua vontade Grândola a tua vontade Jurei ter por companheira À sombra duma azinheira Que já não sabia a idade

Grândola, swarthy town* Land of fraternity It is the people who lead Inside of you, oh city Inside of you, oh city It is the people who lead Land of fraternity Grândola, swarthy town On each corner, a friend In each face, equality Grândola, swarthy town Land of fraternity Land of fraternity Grândola, swarthy town In each face, equality It is the people who lead In the shadow of a holm oak Which no longer knew its age I swore as my companion, Grândola, your will Grândola, your will I swore as my companion In the shadow of a holm oak Which no longer knew its age

* "Grândola Vila Morena" refers to "Grândola", the mentioned village's name, and a characterization of the town, "Vila Morena", meaning something like "swarthy town", "tanned town", "brown town" or "sunbaked town".

The highly disciplined verse form is notable. Each quatrain is followed by a quatrain that repeats the identical lines in reverse order.

Continuing political legacy

On 15 February 2013, the Prime Minister of Portugal was interrupted by a rendition of this song in the Assembly of the Republic (Portuguese Parliament). Protesters in the Assembly's public galleries, unhappy with the contemporary social and economic policies, expressed their discontent in song.^[1][2]

The song that marked the Carnation Revolution, continued to be sung in protest at public events attended by government members.^[3]

References

1. Revolutionary freedom song interrupts parliamentary debate, TPN/ LUSA, The Portugal News, GENERAL category, 16, February, 2013
2. Passos interrompido por "Grândola Vila Morena", Youtube video published by Esquerda.net (Left Bloc internet channels)
3. Austerity triggers novel protests as Portuguese chafe at fall in living standards The Washington Post