French Culture – Afro-Caribbean Edition Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jan 16, 2018 in Culture, Music, Vocabulary
Last week we looked at some of the influences that France’s former colonies had on French culture. This week we’ll continue that exploration with a song that features influences from Africa and the Caribbean.
Performed by Guadeloupe zouk* artist Jocelyne Labille and Congolese singer Cheela with help from French hip hop artist Passi (born in the Congo) and French musician Jacob Desvarieux (himself of Guadeloupe decent), Laisse parler les gens** combines influences of rap, zouk, and pop in an inspirational (and fun) song reminds us all to vis ta vie (live your life) without regards to what others might say about us.
| Jacob: | Jacob: Hey yo / Yeah man / Special comin’ / Jocelyne Sheila original show / Yeah man, respect all time | |
| Jacob: | Laissons parler les gens | Let’s let people talk |
| Jacob: | Laisse parler les gens | Let them talk |
| Cheela: | Moi je viens d’Afrique et tu viens d’ailleurs | Me I come from Africa and you come from somewhere else |
| Et alors ? | Yeah? | |
| Jocelyne: | Je viens des Antilles et moi je vis ailleurs | I come from the Antilles and I live somewhere else |
| Et alors ? | So? | |
| Cheela: | On dit que chez toi les hommes sont tous bons parleurs | They say where you live all the men are big talkers |
| Et alors ? | And? | |
| Jocelyne: | On dit du mal sur vos hommes et leurs valeurs | They say unkind things about your men and their values |
| On s’en fout ! | We don’t’ care! | |
| Jacob: | Laissons parler les gens | Let the people talk |
| Passi: | Laissons parler les gens vas-y, vas-y | Let the people say whatever, come on |
| Jacob: | Laisse parler les gens | Let them talk |
| Cheela: | On dit que ton gars a déposé les clefs | They say your guy closed up shop/lost his business |
| Et alors ? | So? | |
| Jocelyne: | On dit que c’est pas lui le père du dernier (Cheela : ah bon ?!) | They say that he’s not the father of your last one (Cheela: Really?) |
| Et alors ? | And? | |
| Cheela: | On m’a dit que t’as des factures à payer | Someone told me you had overdue bills/bills to pay |
| Et alors ? | Yeah? | |
| Jocelyne: | Que tu es pourchassée par tous les huissiers | That the repo men are chasing you |
| On s’en fout ! | We don’t care! | |
| Cheela: | Hey ma sœur si tu empruntes le chemin de “je m’en fous”, | Hey sister, if you follow the path of “I don’t care”, |
| Cheela: | Tu vas te retrouver au village de “si je savais” ! (Jocelyne : Si je savais !) | You’re going to find yourself in the town of “if I knew”! (Jocelyne: If I knew!) |
| Jacob: | Laissons parler les gens | Let’s let people talk |
| Jacob: | Laisse parler les gens | Let them say what they will |
| Jacob: | Laissons parler les gens | Let them talk |
| Passi: | Oui laisse parler les gens | Yes, let them go on |
| Jocelyne: | Hum c’est bon ça | Hmmm, that’s good |
| Jocelyne: | Va chercher bonheur à gauche | Seek happiness to the left |
| Jocelyne: | Va chercher bonheur à droite | Seek happiness to the right |
| Jocelyne: | Hum Jacob… | Hm Jacob . . . |
| Jocelyne: | Va chercher bonheur à gauche | Seek happiness to the left |
| Jocelyne: | Chercher bonheur à droite, oui va | Seek happiness to the right, yes, go |
| Jocelyne: | Qu’est-ce qu’il dit Passi? | What does he have to say, Passi? |
| Passi: | Laisse parler les gens | Let the people talk |
| Jocelyne: | Laisse, laisse parler les gens | Let them, let the people talk |
| On s’en fout ! | We don’t care! | |
| Cheela: | On dit que tu aimes te la raconter | They say you like to talk about yourself/show off |
| Et alors ? | Yeah? | |
| Jocelyne: | On dit que c’est toi le miel des hommes en soirée | They say you’re a flirt with all the guys at the bar |
| Et alors ? | So what? | |
| Cheela: | On dit que tes vêtements c’est du prêt à prêter*** | They say your clothes are nothing but borrowed |
| Et alors ? | And? | |
| Jocelyne: | On dit que c’est toi la pétasse**** du quartier | I hear tell that you’re the neighborhood nasty |
| Passi: | Laissons parler les gens, vas-y, vas-y | Let them talk, go on |
| Jacob: | Laisse parler les gens | Let the people talk |
| Jacob: | Laissons parler les gens | Let’s let them talk |
| Oui, laisse parler les gens | Yes, let people talk | |
| Cheela: | On dit qu’avec la bouteille tu t’es marié | They say you married a drunk (lit.: that you married a bottle) |
| Et alors ? | So what? | |
| Jocelyne: | On dit aussi que ton mari est fauché (Cheela : c’est faux !) | They even say that your husband is broke (Cheela: that’s false!) |
| Et alors ? | And? | |
| Cheela: | On dit que ton petit ami est un gay | They say your boyfriend is gay |
| Et alors ? | So what? | |
| Jocelyne: | On dit ci, on dit ça pour dénigrer | They say this, they say that to disparage / be mean |
| On s’en fout! | We don’t care! / Who cares?! | |
| Cheela: | Tu m’envies et pourquoi ? | You’re jealous of me and who knows why? |
| Demain on est plus, demain on est plus | Tomorrow we won’t even be here, tomorrow we’re gone | |
| Jocelyne: | Vis ta vie, oublie-moi | Live your live, forget me |
| Demain on est plus, demain on est plus | Tomorrow we won’t even be here, tomorrow we’re gone |
* Zouk is a lively musical style associated with the French Antilles. It came out of the late night dance party scenes of Guadeloupe and Martinique.
** Check out this earlier post from fellow blogger Elizabeth S. for a review of the French imperative.
*** This is a fun play on words. The French term prête à porter means ready to wear (as opposed to couture / custom fashions). The verb prêter means to loan. [Note: The French verb to borrow is emprunter.]
**** Watch out for this one. It’s a fairly strong insult aimed at an unpleasant woman (or simply one you don’t like).
Image Credit: Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1500799
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About the Author: Tim Hildreth
Since my first trip to France at 16, I have been a passionate francophile. I love the language, food, music, art, people, and more that make France and la Francophonie in general such an amazing part of our global community. Having lived in France and studied the language and culture for over 35 years, it is my great pleasure to be able to share a little bit of my deep love with you through this blog.