Banlieusards Lyrics in English Kery James
Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Banlieusards by Kery James from French to English.
Intro
We're not doomed to fail, here's the song of fighters
Suburban kids and proud of it, I wrote the anthem for the fighters
Those who don't always do what's expected of them
Who don't always say what people want to hear from them
Because life is a fight
For the ones up top and the ones down below
If you won't accept that, you're just a coward
Stand up and walk
This is 1, for my people, Arabs and Blacks for the most part
And for my white bros, proletarians and kids from the projects
2 is for those who dream of a united France
'Cause up to now there're two Frances, who can deny it
And I'm from the second France, the one of insecurity
Of potential terrorists, of those on welfare
That's what they expect from us
But I have other plans, let them remember that
I'm not a victim but a soldier
Look at me, I'm Black and proud of it
I handle Molière's tongue, I master its letters
French because France colonized my ancestors
But my mind is free and my Africa owes nothing
I started from far back, feet shackled
The system gave me nothing, I had to face it down
From the starting line, they rigged my race
While the cops chased me, they invested in the stock market
I was supposed to fail, end up locked up, skin full of holes
And if I speak of it with a lump in my throat
It's 'cause I swam in deep waters without a buoy
I got the ghetto inked in my skin, I'm a rebel like Ekoué
But hope never left me
Waiting for better days, I resisted
And I'm still going
I'm the captain on the boat of my efforts
I expect nothing from the system, I'm independent
I aim to be a winner, labeled a loser
'Cause we come from the projects, it's true, we grew up
Not eyes lost in the blue, but bruises in our eyes
Why are we in the ghettos, them at ENA
We behind bars, them in the Senate
They defend their interests, dodge our problems
But one question hangs: what've we done for ourselves
What've we done to shield our own from the same mistakes as ours
Look at what our little brothers become
First it's school failure, exclusion then anger
Violence and stretchers, prison and the cemetery
We're not doomed to fail
It's hard for us, but that shouldn't become an excuse
If knowledge is a weapon, let's be armed
'Cause without it we're disarmed
Despite disappointments and depressions
From the pressure every one of us feels
Despite repression and oppression, discrimination, then arrests
Despite provocations, incarcerations
The lack of understanding, the fears and impulses
Their desire to hold our heads underwater
Elevates my motivation, feeds my ambition
It's time for the second France to wake up
I wanna be more direct: it's time we make some dough
What France won't give us we'll take from her
I don't wanna burn cars, I wanna build them, then sell them
If we're left to ourselves, we gotta fight the fight ourselves
It's not enough to sing Look how they mistreat us
You gotta learn, understand and get things started
Before yelling It's useless, whatever happens, the system slows us down
Up to you: are you a coward or a soldier?
Start something and fight
Kids from the projects and proud, we're not doomed to fail
Graduates, enlightened or lost
In a 4x4, on the metro, nice or wicked
The hood's been unemployed too long, I know what France promises
And that the crime France commits is against our future
This is for the discriminated, often incriminated
The innocent ones they treat like real criminals
We look like predators, but we're only prey
Capable yet guilty, shut out of jobs
If I roar like a lion it's 'cause I won't let it slide
I'm not a beggar, I came to take what they promised me yesterday
Even if I need twice the courage, twice the rage
'Cause there're twice the obstacles and half the advantages
So what, my victory will taste twice as good
Before I can savor it, I'll take twice as many hits
The traps are many, I gotta be twice as alert
Twice as qualified and twice as motivated
If you like crying over your fate
You're just a coward, stand up and walk
Kids from the projects and proud, we're not doomed to fail
We're destined to succeed, break barriers, build careers
Look at what our parents achieved
What they went through for us to get education
Where'd we be without their sacrifices like Mahmoud for Thays
Of course their work has merit
Oh, how I admire our fathers, laborers but proud
If we waste it all, where's the respect
If we fail, where's the progress
Every immigrant's son is on a mission
Every poor man's son has to be ambitious
You can't let your dreams go up in smoke in a smoky hallway
Smoking stuff that breaks your will
Numbs your desires and drowns your abilities
Bro, we're worth more than that
Nothing stops a kid from the projects who fights
We're young, strong and our sisters are beautiful
Immense is the talent they carry inside
Do you see any weak ones here
I only see men who wield the blade here
Kids from the projects and proud of it, we're not doomed to fail
I owed you this text, even if I write it with a tight heart
And if you cry, cry tears of determination
'Cause this isn't a complaint, it's a revolution
Outro
Learn, understand, undertake, even if it hurts
Rise, progress, fight, even when it hurts
Learn, understand, undertake, even if it hurts
Rise, progress, fight, even when it hurts
Learn, understand, undertake, even if it hurts
Kids from the projects, strong and proud of it
We're not doomed to fail
Kids from the projects, strong and proud of it
We're not doomed to fail
Kids from the projects, strong and proud of it
Learn, understand, undertake, even if it hurts
Rise, progress, fight, even when it hurts
Learn, understand, undertake, even if it hurts
Rise, progress, fight, even when it hurts
Even when we've got
Pain
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