7 Seconds

i think this is the song roughly translated..im not sure tho so dun take my word for it-

Don' see me from a distance Don't look at my smile And think that I don't know What's under and beheind me I don't want you to look at me and think What's in you is me What's in me is to help them

I assume the reasons that push us to change everything I would like us to forget about their color So they can be optimistic Too many views on rave that make them desperate Let's leave the doors wide open So they can talk about theit pain and joy Then we can give them information That will bring us all together

Chorus: It's not a second 7 seconds away Just as long as I stay I'll be waiting

Nothing can move us, we should be moving From the ones who practice wicked charms For the son and the stone Bad to the bone Man is not evil, even when it's born

And when a child is born into this world It has no concept The tone the skin is living in

Chorus

There's a million voices There's a million voices To tell you what she should be thionking So you better sober up for a second

The second paragraph sung by D'Nour is obviously French. But what of the first? Is it 'Senegalese'? Or some kind of patois French? I remember hearing of a song which used some made-up, hybrid language- this wouldn't be it... would it?

I understood that a study had resulted in it taking about 7 seconds for human beings to remove racial prejudice when they see someone other than their own race, no matter how depreciated we are, it's something natural to our species. I guess that's where the meaning of the song comes from, which is exactly what it's about.

Can someone PLEASE explain what this song is about? I'm wondering for years now;-)

What I wanna know is what Youssou N'Dour is saying! Can anyone translate beacuse I've forgotton all of my French, and don't know the other language from the first verse!

I think the song has something to do with prejudice - but that's all I can say for now until I know what the other stuff means :]

it certainly about prejudice as butterflykiss said .. when she says that a child has no concept of the tone the skin is living in i think she means that kids dont really pay attention to the race until s/he is told to make such discrimination ... im not sure, but i do know this is a great universal song, a classic that has accompanied me since im a little girl, and the sound of it is just amazing....

Ok. So it's about prejudice. But to me, the million dollar question is 'What is the significance of 7 seconds'? What happens in 7 seconds?

OK - it doesn't quite fit, but I believe that it's based on the fact that a child dies, somewhere in the world, every 7 seconds. (a child in Africa dies every 3 seconds)

It could be the song is bemoaning the fact that a lot of people don't care because the majority of these people will be black, or maybe there is prejudice both ways as they can be white or black. Maybe it is shouting about some of the reasons behind why these children die, sure some would be to do with hunger or malnutrition, some to do with terminal disease, wherever they live. Some children still die as 'human sacrifices' or abuse. Maybe it is shouting about all of the reasons that they die and we should 'sober up' and do something about it.

This is the french translation so mop 32 was pretty close-j'assume les raisons qui nous poussent de changer tout, I assume the resons that lead us to change everything,

-J'aimerais qu'on oublie leur couleur pour qu'ils esperent I wish we could forget their color so they can hope

-Beaucoup de sentiments de races qui font qu'ils desesperent lots of feelings for races which make them lose hope (despair)

-Je veux les deux mains ouvertes, I want the two hands opened,

-Des amis pour parler de leur peine, de leur joie (and) friends to talk about their life penalty, about their joy

-Pour qu'ils leur filent des infos qui ne divisent pas so they can give'em infos that do not divide(scatter)

-Changer change

This so poetic and dramatic and i also think the 7 seconds is about a child's life being lost but i don't know for certain. Loved this song at live 8 when Yossou N'dour did it with Dido, it is truly amazing live!

I don't hear this in the song:

"Pour qu'ils leur filent des infos qui ne divisent pas"

and neither

"Je veux les portes grandements ouvertes"

but I can hear clearly "Je veux les deux mains ouvertes" as gladius1010 said.