A palma estava errada
Bimba parou bateu outra vez
Bata esta palma direito
A palma de bimba é um dois tres
Olha a palma de bimba
É um dois tres
Se você é devoto de Bimba
Na roda ele vai lhe ajudar
Mas se não, sai correndo
Que a roda tá aberta e o bicho vai pegar
E a palma de Bimba é um dois tres
Olha a palma de Bimba
É um dois tres
A quadra estava errada
Bimba parou outra vez
Cante esta quadra direito
A palma de Bimba é um dois tres
Olha a palma de Bimba
É um dois tres
A Iúna estava errada
Bimba falou outra vez
Não matrate esta ave moleque
E a palma de Bimba é um dois tres
Olha a palma de Bimba
É um dois tres
A ginga estava errada
Bimba parou outra vez
Ô ginga bonito moleque
E a palma de Bimba é um dois tres
Olha a palma de Bimba
É um dois tres
The clapping was wrong
Bimba stopped and clapped again
Clap your hands correctly
The clapping of Bimba is one, two, three
The clapping of Bimba
Is one, two, three
If you’re a student of Bimba
He’ll help you in the roda
But if you’re not, run away
Because the roda is open and gonna get rough
And the clapping of Bimba is one, two, three
The clapping of Bimba
Is one, two, three
The song was wrong
Bimba stopped again
Sing this song right
The clapping of Bimba is one, two, three
The clapping of Bimba
Is one, two, three
The Iúna rhythm was wrong
Bimba said again
Don’t mistreat this bird, boy *
And the clapping of Bimba is one, two, three
The clapping of Bimba
Is one, two, three
The ginga was wrong
Bimba stopped again
Ginga beautifully, boy
And the clapping of Bimba is one, two, three
The clapping of Bimba
Is one, two, three
In this song iúna is the name of a berimbau rhythm, and also the name of a bird. Clapping hands during the roda is done in capoeira regional and contemporanea, but not in capoeira Angola. The typical rhythm for clapping is “one-two-three-(rest)” following the beat of the pandeiros, or corresponding to the “dim-dom-dom” of the berimbau. Sometimes this song is sung to motivate people to clap when the clapping is getting weak, or to correct clappers who are off-beat.
Bimba of course refers to Mestre Bimba, the creator of Capoeira Regional (the style we do). The clapping is said to be from Bimba in this song because he developed the music and bateria in regional so that we clap on the first, second, and third beats.
"o bicho vai pegar"/"someone will catch you"- this literally translates into the bug will hit/sting you.
