J'avais Pas Les Mots Lyrics in English La Fouine

Below, I translated the lyrics of the song J'avais Pas Les Mots by La Fouine from French to English.
Since I hang around down there
At night at home I hear Mom cry, cry
In this rat hole, nobody wants me
I see the teachers laugh, laugh
Building A, police station, I don't even know where to go, go
When it's bad, no cash
Impossible to get away, away
No diploma, a few chrome rims
And I hear them talk, talk
Olympia, Bercy, Dôme, and I catch myself dreaming, dreaming
Police lights, siren blaring and I sleep light, light
Real champagne, silicone, gotta let yourself go, go
Alone at the back of the classroom
I dreamed of getting out of there
But I didn't have the words, I didn't, I didn't have the words
I should've taken her in my arms
Told her she mattered to me
But I didn't have the words, I didn't, I didn't have the words
Mom I love you and Dad too
I never knew how to say it 'cause I didn't have the words
I didn't, didn't have the words
Younger I couldn't find the words
To tell them my story
I didn't have the words, I didn't, I didn't have the words
When the doors close
I smoke weed and let people talk
I hit the ground, I get back in the saddle
I see my life unfold
First gear, second gear
How many times I've stalled
Tell my dad, tell my mom
I've got a few years to do
Insurance, registration
Checked from morning till night
No vacation, a little booze
I'll spend the whole summer in the hood
Schemes, merchandise
Influencing, whatever they say
Facing the wind, what we aim at
Will grow big whatever they say
Alone at the back of the classroom
I dreamed of getting out of there
But I didn't have the words, I didn't, I didn't have the words
I should've taken her in my arms
Told her she mattered to me
But I didn't have the words, I didn't, I didn't have the words
Mom I love you and Dad too
I never knew how to say it 'cause I didn't have the words
I didn't, didn't have the words
Younger I couldn't find the words
To tell them my story
I didn't have the words, I didn't, I didn't have the words
Misunderstood in my corner
Nobody to talk to
With time you won't go far
The counselor used to tell me
Dad, stop complaining Mom, put down your broom
Too many years have passed
Never finding time to talk to each other
Often absent you worked too much
She couldn't find the words either
"When you grow up", often her words
Got tangled in my brain
I didn't have the words, I didn't, I didn't have the words
Buried in my silence bro
I didn't have the words
Alone at the back of the classroom
I dreamed of getting out of there
But I didn't have the words, I didn't, I didn't have the words
I should've taken her in my arms
Told her she mattered to me
But I didn't have the words, I didn't, I didn't have the words
Mom I love you and Dad too
I never knew how to say it 'cause I didn't have the words
I didn't, didn't have the words
Younger I couldn't find the words
To tell them my story
I didn't have the words, I didn't, I didn't have the words
I didn't have the words
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SONG MEANING

“J’avais Pas Les Mots” drops us straight into La Fouine’s teenage memories, where tower blocks, flashing police lights and school corridors feel like a maze he cannot escape. The French-Moroccan rapper paints a raw picture of life “en bas” (downstairs in the projects) – nights filled with his mother’s quiet tears, teachers’ smirks and the constant rumble of sirens. Even while dreaming of selling-out arenas like Bercy or the Olympia, he is weighed down by street checks, empty pockets and the haunting thought that he never found the right words to comfort the people he loves.

At its heart, the chorus repeats the same regret: “J’avais pas les mots”“I didn’t have the words.” It is a confession of emotional silence. He wishes he had hugged the girl who mattered, told his mum and dad he loved them, or explained his struggles to the school counsellor. Instead, he bottled everything up, numbing the pain with weed and risky hustles. The song balances gritty realism with vulnerable honesty, reminding listeners that behind every hardened exterior there is often a child who simply could not speak up. In just a few verses, La Fouine turns lost words into powerful lyrics, urging us to say what matters before it is too late.

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