Does "me venceu" mean "defeated me" or "saved me"?

Question

This is Brazilian Portuguese, just for context.

In the popular Capoeira song, Paranauê, the second line is almost always "Capoeira me venceu, Paraná" (occasionally, this gets rendered as "Capoeira que venceu, Paraná", which definitely shifts the meaning). What seems to differ is whether people translate that as something like "Capoeira has defeated me" or "Capoeira saved me", with that difference seemingly varying whether the person believes the song is about talking about how Capoeira has taken over their life versus whether it's describing how Capoeira won a war in Paraguay.

One example of the latter can be seen here:

Vou dizer minha mulher, Paraná (I’m going to tell my wife)
Capoeira me venceu, Paraná (Capoeira saved me)

Is either translation correct?

Answer 1

1 - 5 Ter supremacia sobre; dominar: O bom senso acabou vencendo a impulsividade e a arrogância. Nem sempre a razão vence.

Good sense ended up winning over impulsiveness and arrogance.

Or: coming out ahead of

2 - 10 Convencer alguém ou um grupo de pessoas; persuadir: Venceu os pais, que nunca a deixaram viajar sozinha, provando-lhes ser uma pessoa responsável.

She convinced or persuaded her parents, who never allowed her to travel on her own, proving to them she was a responsible person.

Michaelis_português brasileiro

Capoeria has won me over OR Capoeira has convinced me [of its worth]

Musical Addendum:

Here is one of the most famous songs about Capoeira, from the great composer Vinícius de Moraes. This is the chorus:

Capoeira me mandou
Dizer que já chegou
Chegou para lutar
Berimbau me confirmou
Vai ter briga de amor
Tristeza camará

That chorus personifies both Capoeira, the fight-dance and the instrument, the Amerindian berimbau.

And if you don't know the song Berimbau, here's the full Monty:

Berimbau for the words

For the composer singing the song with other famous singers: Berimbau

Answer 2

i know i am late but the previous answers seem to be either incorrect or controversial

"Capoeira" in this context is not the sport, it is a Capoeira praticioner.

"Vou dizer pra minha mulher 'Capoeira me venceu'"

means "I am gonna tell my wife '[a/the] capoeirist defeated me'".

i am a brazilian praticioner from Bahia.

Answer 3

The lyrics for this song haven't been written in standard Portuguese. I've found different lyrics for this same song, such as here, and here. -
Here, a third version, it definitely sounds like old Afro-Brasilian Vernacular Portuguese.

From what I can understand, "capoeira me venceu" means "capoeira has defeated me" or "capoeira has won". However, depending on context, it might mean "capoeira defeated me and has conquered my heart and mind".

ps In Afro-Brazilian culture, Capoeira can refer to a traditional fight (developed by enslaved Africans in Northeastern Brazil during the 16th century) which used to be fought in earnest. Nowadays, it can be just a manifestation of black culture as a dance. It has also been growing as a sport modality.

See ilustrations below. The first picture shows how Capoeira is performed in the 21st Century. The second picture depicts what it must have looked like in the 19th or early 20th Century. Until 1937 Capoeira was considered a crime and fighters were sistematically arrested by the police.

EDIT Several Brazilian writers, poets and composers use Afro-Brazilian Vernacular Portuguese in their works, which by no means makes such vocabulary standard Portuguese.

Answer 4

"me venceu" Means defeated me.