Tu Gitana - Iberian Song

Details

Description

Vocals & arrangement by Farya Faraji, painting "Maria the Beautiful" by Joaquín Sorolla. This is a more or less modern song pulled from older textual sources. Zeca Afonso, an important figure of Portuguese music and folk traditions, seems to have written this melody over a verse for a song written in a 16th century songbook. This original melody written by Afonso has now become the more or less canonical melody attached to this text, and all other known versions derive from that one. This is currently a song popular both in Portugal and in Galicia.

Lyrics:
Tu gitana que adevinhas
Me lo digas pues no lo sé
Si saldré desta aventura
O si nela moriré
O si nela perco la vida
O si nela triunfaré
Tu gitana que adevinhas
Me lo digas pues no lo sé

English translation:
O you gitana woman who foresees,
Tell me, for I don't know,
If I will make it through this adventure
Or if on it I will die.
Or if on it I ruin my life
Or if on it I will triumph,
O you gypsy woman who foresees,
Tell me.