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Lan Male M Ye Lyrics
Pèp ayisyen nou sis milyon
Sou chak san mil gen youn ki byen
Sa fè sis mil ki gen lajan
Eske se Bondye k vle l konsa
Pou n jwenn repons la nou sèl wa
M pa kwè lan bib la li ekri sa
Depi lan ansyen testaman
Esklav toujou goumen kont wa
Yo lite pou yo kase chenn
Yo te goumen kont farawon
Nou menm peyizan ayisyen
Ki pa konn li se sa yo di
Oun rekòt diri se pa de ni se pa twa
Men l pa piti
Si mil moun o ki gen lajan
Malgre tout vye zam o
Yo te jwenn chak fwa ey
Lè nou vle chante sa
Pa vle di anyen adye ey
Devan youn pèp o
Le jou l vle sa chanje
Lan malè m ye fò m soti la
Pa tafya koudyay ey
Ni kandida ey k ap wete m la
La vi k pou chanje adye ey
Pou w ale mye se pou m revandike
Sou chak senk mil entelektyèl
kat mil nèf san lan komokyèl
Oun bann tyoul ki san ren k san fyèl
Yo bliye si pèp se sèl fòs
Fè mès pou meriken rantre
Vin pran peyi mèsi mouche
Kontrebann plis la charite
Se pou sa k san figi se vre
San lonè san la diyite
Nou twouve sa byen malere
Pou yon bann moun ki kiltive
Ki al lekòl ki konn abc
Kolonn vètebral yo pliye
Ak youn kwi kote yo pase
Larivyè k move sa malè
Inyon pa l sa fèt lan lanmè
Pou nou sa son w bagay ki klè
Pou lezòm sa se bèl pawòl
Sitou lò l vle jwe yon gwo wòl
Sa bon chantè ke rosiyòl
L ap toujou pale w de linyon
Kan w wè l ta anvi prezidan
Desann kanton lan bèl machin
Bay lajan pou de kout vaksin
Vye frè pa gran lan mannigans
Se sa yo rele la twonpans
Kite visye lan potoprens
Toujou vann tèt yo pou anyen
Si mil moun o ki gen lajan
Malgre tout vye zam o
Yo te jwenn chak fwa ey
Lè nou vle chante sa
Pa vle fi anyen adye ey
Devan youn pèp o
Le jou l vle sa chanje
Lan malè m ye fò m soti la
Pa tafya koudyay ey
Ni kandida ey k ap wete m la
La vi k pou chanje adye ey
Pou w ale mye se pou m revandike
Lan malè m ye fò m soti la
Pa tafya koudyay ey
Ni kandida ey k ap wete m la
La vi k pou chanje adye ey
Pou w ale mye se pou m revandike
Sou chak san mil gen youn ki byen
Sa fè sis mil ki gen lajan
Eske se Bondye k vle l konsa
Pou n jwenn repons la nou sèl wa
M pa kwè lan bib la li ekri sa
Depi lan ansyen testaman
Esklav toujou goumen kont wa
Yo lite pou yo kase chenn
Yo te goumen kont farawon
Nou menm peyizan ayisyen
Ki pa konn li se sa yo di
Oun rekòt diri se pa de ni se pa twa
Men l pa piti
Malgre tout vye zam o
Yo te jwenn chak fwa ey
Lè nou vle chante sa
Pa vle di anyen adye ey
Devan youn pèp o
Le jou l vle sa chanje
Lan malè m ye fò m soti la
Pa tafya koudyay ey
Ni kandida ey k ap wete m la
La vi k pou chanje adye ey
Pou w ale mye se pou m revandike
kat mil nèf san lan komokyèl
Oun bann tyoul ki san ren k san fyèl
Yo bliye si pèp se sèl fòs
Fè mès pou meriken rantre
Vin pran peyi mèsi mouche
Kontrebann plis la charite
Se pou sa k san figi se vre
San lonè san la diyite
Nou twouve sa byen malere
Pou yon bann moun ki kiltive
Ki al lekòl ki konn abc
Kolonn vètebral yo pliye
Ak youn kwi kote yo pase
Inyon pa l sa fèt lan lanmè
Pou nou sa son w bagay ki klè
Pou lezòm sa se bèl pawòl
Sitou lò l vle jwe yon gwo wòl
Sa bon chantè ke rosiyòl
L ap toujou pale w de linyon
Kan w wè l ta anvi prezidan
Desann kanton lan bèl machin
Bay lajan pou de kout vaksin
Vye frè pa gran lan mannigans
Se sa yo rele la twonpans
Kite visye lan potoprens
Toujou vann tèt yo pou anyen
Malgre tout vye zam o
Yo te jwenn chak fwa ey
Lè nou vle chante sa
Pa vle fi anyen adye ey
Devan youn pèp o
Le jou l vle sa chanje
Lan malè m ye fò m soti la
Pa tafya koudyay ey
Ni kandida ey k ap wete m la
La vi k pou chanje adye ey
Pou w ale mye se pou m revandike
Lan malè m ye fò m soti la
Pa tafya koudyay ey
Ni kandida ey k ap wete m la
La vi k pou chanje adye ey
Pou w ale mye se pou m revandike
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(Translated from Haitian Creole by Mark Dow)
I AM IN MISERY
We are six million Haitians, out of every hundred thousand, there's one who lives well, that makes six thousand who have money. Is it God who wanted it that way? You are the king as far as that answer's concerned, I don't think it's written in the Bible. Ever since the Old Testament slaves have always fought against kings, they struggle to break their chains, they fought against Pharaoh. You yourselves Haitian peasants, who cannot read, that's what they say, one rice harvest isn't two and it isn't three, but it is something.
Six thousand people who have money in spite of all the old weapons they find every time we want to change that, it doesn't mean a damn thing to the people the day they want it to change. I have to get out of this misery I'm in, neither tafia street parties nor candidates can get me out of it. To change this life, to make an improvement, it's up to me to stand up and fight.
Out of every five thousand intellectuals four thousand nine hundred are full of shit, a bunch of gutless, spineless pimps, they forget that the people are the only power, say a mass for the Americans to come in, come take the country, thank you, sir. Contraband plus charity is for those with no face, it's true, with no honor, with no dignity. It really is a pity for a group of people who are cultured, who went to school, who know their abc's, to bend their backs with a beggar's bowl wherever they go.
Six thousand people who have money in spite of all the old weapons they find every time we want to change that, it doesn't mean a damn thing to the people the day they want it to change. I have to get out of this misery I'm in, neither tafia street parties nor candidates can get me out of it. To change this life, to make an improvement, it's up to me to stand up and fight.
The angry river is trouble, its union is with the sea, for us that is clear. For the man it's pretty words, especially when he wants to play a big role, he's a better singer than the nightingale. He's always talking about union, when you see how he wants to be president, comes down to the neighborhood in a nice car, pays a couple of rara bands to play their bamboo horns, brothers, don't get scammed, that's what they call the big sham. Let the thieves in Port-au-Prince keep selling themselves for nothing.
Six thousand people who have money in spite of all the old weapons they find every time we want to change that, it doesn't mean a damn thing to the people the day they want it to change. I have to get out of this misery I'm in, neither tafia street parties nor candidates can get me out of it. To change this life, to make an improvement, it's up to me to stand up and fight.
(Note by Gage Averill on conjunctions.com)
In the last stanza and the refrain, Manno tells Haitians not to be persuaded by the institution of the "koudyay". Derived from the French phrase "coup de jaille" (spontaneous bursting-forth), the "koudyay" became a military celebration in Haiti, and eventually any street party "hosted" by an important person.
Rose-Anne Auguste co-wrote "Lan Malè M Ye".