J'étais Pas Là Lyrics in English Bigflo & Oli

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Below, I translated the lyrics of the song J'étais Pas Là by Bigflo & Oli from French to English.

Hey, France

Do you recognize me

I lost some hair

And some followers

In the meantime, I slept a lot

And hustled a bit

Even the ones who didn't like me

Were wondering

When we'd come back

Music moves on

People forget, it's inevitable

Bigflo Oli replaced

By Slimane and Vitaa

I hung out more

In Palavas than in Paris

And I watched the NRJ Music Awards

On my couch

At the same time

I was pretty comfy in my retirement

Too scared of causing a scandal

Even when I say nothing, I regret it

They all made posts

And nice speeches

Between some good promos

A story for the Uyghurs

I look at Flo and I'm scared

We might split up

Like Daft Punk

But they weren't brothers

The two Daft Punk

What's up

The world's gotten scary

Peace, when's that

What time is it in Afghanistan

They told us

No need for masks

Then yes, put the mask back on

Me, I didn't have a mask but

To go buy a mask

I needed a mask

So I put on a helmet

Like Daft Punk

I met a people

In Madagascar

I learned to fish

And to tie knots

I realized that in fact

I was like them

That I didn't need

Much

To be happy

Anyway, turn the cameras back on

We missed you

But here we are, Daddy's back

Fourth album

We're gonna smash every quota

No need for ads

But I do it anyway

Like Coke

Nah, wait, redo the ending there

I wasn't there but I missed nothing

Who missed me

Who thought of me

Does anybody know where we're going

I feel like

We're all lost

For a long time it

Was hanging over our heads

Today we act surprised

I wasn't there

But I missed nothing

I wasn't there

What happened

I wasn't there

But I missed nothing

I wasn't there

What happened

It's been two years

Since I posted a story

At first

I was scared people would forget me

Then I gave time back its place

To time and I realized

That social media

Isn't that important

I went to Dubai

ATV riding in the desert

I cut loose

At the restaurant, I took three desserts

The life of a reality TV star

And honestly

I think I didn't like it much

By the way, I'm taken

Girls stopped talking to me

On Insta, I close my eyes

Every time I see an *ss

I play Animal Crossing with her

And in the car

We sing Dua Lipa and Angèle

I can't please everyone

That's for sure

It took me a while to admit it

Those who love me follow me

The others, go get f*cked

Take the Internet away from boomers

And take the tablets away from babies

Put the blond guy back

On the Malabars

See, I'm less ugly now

I let my beard grow

During the break, I had time

I made ten thousand videos

For your little brothers

And for your nephews

However

Message to all the students

Well, I don't give a f*ck about your student unions

I had to handle my f*cking

Panic attacks

Treat my traumas, anyway

I send salaam to Éric Zemmour

And happy New Year to Maître Gims

Aïe, aïe, aïe, aïe

Woo, woo, hahaha

We're hyped

Nanana, nananananana, lalala

Can you picture it live, this one

It's gonna be crazy, bro

Vamos

I wasn't there

But I missed nothing, but I missed nothing

I wasn't there

What happened

I wasn't there

But I missed nothing, but I missed nothing

I wasn't there

What happened

In life, some will be against you

Others will tell you that you're wrong

Well you know what

We don't give a f*ck

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SONG MEANING

"J'étais Pas Là" feels like opening a long-lost group chat from Bigflo & Oli and finding a flood of voice notes. After a two-year digital disappearance, the rapper reappears with playful honesty, admitting he swapped Paris stages for sleepy beaches, binge-watched award shows from his couch, and even learned to fish in Madagascar. Through rapid-fire references to pandemic mask confusion, social-media activism, Daft Punk break-ups, and celebrity excess in Dubai, he pokes fun at how quickly trends replace artists while confessing his own fears of being forgotten. The chant-like hook – “J’étais pas là, mais j’ai rien raté” – drives home the message: stepping away from the online whirlpool might feel risky, yet real life keeps its most important lessons offline.

By mixing self-deprecating humor with sharp cultural snapshots, the song doubles as a comeback anthem and a reality check. Bigflo & Oli remind us that chasing likes, clout, or perfect public images is exhausting; true happiness can be as simple as sharing Animal Crossing sessions with a partner or mastering a good knot on a fishing boat. Their return is equal parts celebration and cautionary tale – proof that disappearing for a while does not mean missing out, and that the best story to post might just be the one you live away from the screen.

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Bigflo & Oli J'étais Pas Là Lyrics