Je Suis Lyrics in English Bigflo & Oli

Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Je Suis by Bigflo & Oli from French to English.
I'm
Locked up, cramped in my cell
Same coffee every day but time is what's soluble
Those good deeds we regret
Those mistakes we repeat
In the visiting room I talk as much to my son as to my own reflection
I'm
Frozen, I string together drinks and winters
To reassure themselves passersby must all think we're hibernating
Rocked by the sound of steps and coins in pockets
Between this guy and my dog, I wonder who's closer to me
I'm
Rich, they wanna make me think it's shameful
Like I'm responsible for all the misery on Earth
I don't owe anybody, even if I run out of cash
They all wanna taste the fruit of the tree I planted
I'm
Sick, but I prefer saying "soon cured"
My pupils fix on the hand of the watch shining on my wrist
Cramped in my body, I watch the world through the keyhole
People will say I only enlarged the one in Social Security
I'm
Believer, they often blame me for it
They blame my beard yet it's the same as Jean Jaurès's
They compare me to barbarians I never believed in
The mosques are too small so sometimes I pray in the street
I'm
A bit lost, my tiny lungs fill with air
New arrival on Earth
My first tears trigger my father's
Lucky, with my family I feel at home
But I don't forget I could've been born in the room opposite
I'm
Alone, at the end of a hallway, nobody asks my view
I've gotten older so yeah I have way more wrinkles than friends
I'd like to share my mistakes, tell you my doubts
Sometimes I talk to myself to be sure somebody listens
I'm
Exhausted, but not for long, I'm sure
Ringtones, pressure have widened my wounds
Can't remember the date of my last roaring laugh
I'm a man, soon I'll be a memory
I'm
Finally here, this land's no longer a mirage
I came by boat but above all by miracle
A new life waits here, much calmer and more stable
This morning I wrote "all good" on the back of the postcard
I'm
Proud, but how to describe all I feel
When I walk in town, fewer and fewer people look like me
In the elevator, I don't even speak my neighbor's language anymore
By planting so many trees, there'll be no room left for our roots
I'm
Tired, bad back and sore kidneys
The wrinkles on my face remind me of the mountains where I'm from
They lied to me and I realized too late
They say this country's not mine even though I'm the one who built it
I'm
Seated, and fate decided I'll never stand again
In this ocean I feel like I've always been rowing
A headache to get on the bus
To head to work, go through their doors
People often stare at me and say it's not their fault
I'm
Happy, young graduate
Concrete mindset, I've amazed
Those who dreamed I'd quit
Family's far from here, I hope they're proud over there
I just won the fight my mom had started
I'm
Confident, I look at my class a bit too packed for me
And I'll hold their hands till success opens its arms to them
I got that sometimes adults are lost
'Cause the biggest lessons came from them
I'm
Pissed, in my hood we're bored far from the city
We write, we pray, we scream and I have friends who deal
My big brother's jobless, my buddy makes five grand a month
Middle school's a mess, soon I'll have to choose
I'm
Far away, what happens at my place interests few people
For others we live a dream yet we often spin in circles
Everything's pricey, there's kind of a lag with the mainland
The beach, the palm trees, but I'm not on vacation
I'm
Discreet, my dad told me not to make waves
My faith, a beacon guiding my steps since I set sail
Funny that he watches me yet does everything
To teach me a lesson by stopping me from going to class
I'm
Worried, lots of haughty looks at my faith
I get lectured by guys who do nothing for others
Humanity's got no more heart, I see the world spinning and changing
And I'm sad to see fewer and fewer people on Sunday
I'm
In love, and I don't see whose business it is
Except me and the one I share my bed with at night
I love him, we weave between insult and joke
To think not long ago I couldn't give him a ring
I'm
Forgotten, my month-ends walk a tightrope
It's become rare to eat out or go see a movie
I'm just a number, a vote, a statistic, one more dot in the crowd
I was just born here and I feel like nobody gives a f*ck
I'm
A meet-up, a chance, a soccer game, a wedding
A protest, a birthday, a hug, a fight
A crime scene, a judgment, a kid laughing, a mistake
A snowy mountain, I'm the tip of an author's quill
I'm the tears of a farewell, I'm the warmth of bars
I'm a five-star flavor or the grease of a kebab
The slackers, the night owls, the early risers
The complainers, the glances on the subway
A racist uncle, an empty gig, the crisis, the depression tightening the vise
I'm excellence, elegance or the hope of a birth
Those silent countrysides, those huge and dense cities
I'm, a bit of me and a lot of others when I think about it
I am France!
Lyrics and Translations Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT (FRANCE), BMG Rights Management, WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE
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SONG MEANING

Bigflo & Oli turn the simple phrase “Je suis” into a kaleidoscope of voices. In just a few minutes, the song jumps from a prisoner staring at his own reflection to a millionaire defending his success, from a newborn’s first breath to an elderly person afraid of being forgotten. We meet believers praying in the street, immigrants writing hopeful postcards, students who finally graduate, teachers guiding crowded classrooms, lovers fighting prejudice, workers who built a nation they are told is not theirs, and many more. Each short vignette paints a vivid picture of everyday France, showing how wildly different one life can be from the next—even when everyone starts by saying the exact same two words: I am.

The magic happens when all those separate stories snap together. By the time the chorus cries out “Je suis la France,” the listener realizes that the true subject of the song is collective identity. Rich or poor, sick or healthy, rooted or uprooted, believer or skeptic, every character adds a brushstroke to one shared portrait. The track is both a celebration and a challenge: celebrate the incredible variety that makes a country vibrant, and challenge yourself to see the human behind every label. It is a musical reminder that understanding others begins with listening to the many ways they say, “I am.”

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