That grinning mask is the flag you carry,
That's what your Mardi Gras has become.
Carnival hasn't satisfied you yet,
And Ash Wednesday is almost here.
You take the country and you walk all over it,
You sell it for a nice house across the sea.
But I see through your Mardi Gras disguise,
Let's see what happens if you lead the parade.
In Port-au-Prince you hear all kinds of things...
Mardi Gras Man's parade float is an armored car.
Mardi Gras Man, I'm not afraid of you, you're only a person.
Mardi Gras Man, I'm not afraid of you, you're only a person.
It was the first time I saw how this works,
The Mardi Gras Man gives himself a military rank
To scare me, but it excites me.
Masked Man, I'm not afraid of you, I'm not afraid of you,
I'm not afraid of you,
Masked Man, I'm not afraid of you, you're only a person.
As long as there are those who will take responsibility,
Who want to fight with lucidity,
I'll open a white sheet for the honest ones,
Come lie in it, roll in it, confess your sins.
Don't put the blame on underdevelopment,
Don't look for words to hide behind.
Two centuries ago we were important people
Because we fought other people to make ourselves free.
In Port-au-Prince you hear all kinds of things...
Mardi Gras Man's parade float is an armored car.
Mardi Gras Man, I'm not afraid of you, you're only a person.
Mardi Gras Man, I'm not afraid of you, you're only a person.
It was the first time I saw how this works,
The Mardi Gras Man gives himself a military rank
To scare me, but it excites me.
Masked Man, I'm not afraid of you, I'm not afraid of you,
I'm not afraid of you,
Masked Man, I'm not afraid of you, you're only a person.
Masked Man, I'm not afraid of you, you're only a person.
(Translated from Haitian Creole by Mark Dow)
That grinning mask is the flag you carry, That's what your Mardi Gras has become. Carnival hasn't satisfied you yet, And Ash Wednesday is almost here. You take the country and you walk all over it, You sell it for a nice house across the sea. But I see through your Mardi Gras disguise, Let's see what happens if you lead the parade.
In Port-au-Prince you hear all kinds of things... Mardi Gras Man's parade float is an armored car. Mardi Gras Man, I'm not afraid of you, you're only a person. Mardi Gras Man, I'm not afraid of you, you're only a person. It was the first time I saw how this works, The Mardi Gras Man gives himself a military rank To scare me, but it excites me. Masked Man, I'm not afraid of you, I'm not afraid of you, I'm not afraid of you, Masked Man, I'm not afraid of you, you're only a person.
As long as there are those who will take responsibility, Who want to fight with lucidity, I'll open a white sheet for the honest ones, Come lie in it, roll in it, confess your sins. Don't put the blame on underdevelopment, Don't look for words to hide behind. Two centuries ago we were important people Because we fought other people to make ourselves free.
In Port-au-Prince you hear all kinds of things... Mardi Gras Man's parade float is an armored car. Mardi Gras Man, I'm not afraid of you, you're only a person. Mardi Gras Man, I'm not afraid of you, you're only a person. It was the first time I saw how this works, The Mardi Gras Man gives himself a military rank To scare me, but it excites me. Masked Man, I'm not afraid of you, I'm not afraid of you, I'm not afraid of you, Masked Man, I'm not afraid of you, you're only a person. Masked Man, I'm not afraid of you, you're only a person.