Sénégal Fast Food Lyrics in English by Amadou, Mariam, Manu Chao

Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Sénégal Fast Food by Amadou from French to English.
These lyrics have verified word for word translations. Click any lyric word to see the translation and hear the pronunciation!
It's five o'clock now
Zero minutes
It's at the Manhattan
Fast-food Dakar
Senegal, Paris cinema
Tomorrow I'll be gone
The Dakar station, Bamako Mopti
No problems
Everything's fine
Today I'm getting married
I have faith
No problem, Gao
Algeria, Tunisia, Italy
There's no problem
I love it
At the Manhattan fast-food
Dakar, Senegal
Paris cinema
Elevator to the ghetto
It's midnight in Tokyo
It's five o'clock in Mali
What time is it
In Paradise
It's midnight in Tokyo
It's five o'clock in Mali
What time is it
In Paradise
It's at the Manhattan fast-food
Dakar, Senegal
Grandma's in the hospital
Dantec
Everything's fine, all good
Me here, you there
The visa at consulate number 39
I'm waiting, I'm waiting
At the registry office, already the year 2000
Already 2000 years
At the Manhattan fast-food
Dakar, Senegal
Paris cinema
It's midnight in Tokyo
It's five o'clock in Mali
What time is it
In Paradise
It's midnight in Tokyo
It's five o'clock in Mali
What time is it
In Paradise
Dakar, Bamako
Rio de Janeiro
Where's the problem
Where's the border
Between the walls
Sneaking into the elevator
Elevator to the ghetto
At the Manhattan fast-food
Dakar, Senegal
Paris cinema
It's five o'clock now
Zero minutes zero minutes
It's midnight in Tokyo
It's five o'clock in Mali
What time is it
In Paradise
It's midnight in Tokyo
It's five o'clock in Mali
What time is it
In Paradise
It's five o'clock now
Zero minutes zero minutes
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Welcome to "Sénégal Fast Food," a song that feels like a dream or a collection of vivid memories from a traveler's life. The story centers around a fast food restaurant in Dakar, Senegal, which acts as a hub for people on the move. The lyrics jump between personal moments and the bigger challenges of a long journey:

  • Happy events: "Aujourd'hui je me marie" (Today I'm getting married)
  • Family worries: "La grand-mère à l'hôpital" (Grandmother in the hospital)
  • The migrant's struggle: "J'attends j'attends... Le visa" (I wait and wait... for the visa)

Through it all, the singer often repeats "Y'a pas de problèmes" (There are no problems). This hopeful phrase suggests a powerful sense of resilience and optimism, even when things are difficult.

The song is also a journey through time itself. The lyrics constantly contrast the time in Mali with the time in Tokyo, creating a feeling of global connection and displacement. This leads to the song's beautiful, mysterious central question: "Quelle heure est-il Au Paradis?" (What time is it in Paradise?). Is paradise a final destination, a state of mind, or a place without borders? The song leaves you to wonder about this search for a better life, all set to an incredibly cool and relaxed beat.

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