Banlieue Rouge was formed in 1989 in Longueuill. Heavily influenced by French punk rock bands such as Bérurier Noir, they started with a drum machine, which was eventually replaced by Jeff on drums. Their lyrics being written in French, worldwide success was unlikely to ever be reached. However, they did manage to gain considerable popularity in France and Quebec along with the release of their third studio album "Engrenages", in 1993.
In 1999, after four full-length albums (plus one live and one best-of) and ten years of touring in America and Europe, the band finally broke up. Xavier went on to form Corrigan Fest, later joined by Sylvain. They play traditional Celtic music mixed with punk. Safwan went on to form Akuma, an angrier, louder hardcore punk band with bilingual (French/English) lyrics.
Coyote
Banlieue Rouge Lyrics
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Comme si la marque des damnés y collait à ta gueule
Tel un tatouage le symbole de dissidence
De ta classe criminelle, de tes cris de vengeance
Héritier mal-aimé de mariages illégaux,
Le fils d'une putain de Nouveau-Mexico
De mensonges et de haine ta vie est un désert
Les mémoires que tu gardes te laissent un goût amer...
Les pierres que t'on jetées tous les gens des villages
N'ayant vu en toi qu'une plaie, qu'une vermine
Toi qui avait volé, poussé par la famine
Tenu responsable de tous leurs maux,
Tu es le pestiféré entre tous
Et comme les hommes du Nord en veulent à ta peau,
Tu fuis en solitaire où le vent te pousse...
D'un coeur pur et juste ils ont fait une pierre
Tu es devenu le monstre qu'ils voyaient
La douleur d'la gangrène te ronge les chairs,
Tes rêves sont cauchemars à tout jamais
Tapi dans l'ombre d'un dernier refuge
Caché dans les décombres où la folie te gruge
Toi dont le futur reste une aventure,
C'est peut-être un espoir vain que te réserves demain...
Coyote quel est ton vrai nom, enfant d'une noire incantation
Celle d'un monde de corruption, de lâcheté, de diffamation...
(2x)
The lyrics to Banlieue Rouge's song "Coyote" tell the story of a lone figure who is always alone, as if marked by the curse of damned souls. He bears a tattoo symbolizing his defiance towards his criminal class and his thirst for vengeance. He is the hated heir of illegal marriages, the son of a prostitute from New Mexico. His life is a desert full of lies and hatred, and his memories only leave a bitter taste in his mouth. He is haunted by the taste of his own blood, shed in the face of the stones thrown at him by the villagers who saw him as nothing but a pest, a vermin. He became the monster they believed him to be, his dreams forever turned into nightmares. He now hides in the shadows, his mind consumed by madness, waiting for a hopeful tomorrow that may never come.
This song is a powerful portrayal of the plight of those who are ostracized by society and forced to exist in the margins of the world. The lyrics tell a story of a man whose life is full of pain, rejection, and betrayal, and how he has become the very thing that society made him out to be. It's a somber reminder of the injustices that continue to be perpetrated against those who live on the fringes of society.
Line by Line Meaning
Partout où tu vas tu es toujours seul,
Wherever you go, you're always alone,
Comme si la marque des damnés y collait à ta gueule
As if the mark of the damned is stuck to your face,
Tel un tatouage le symbole de dissidence
Like a tattoo symbolizing dissent,
De ta classe criminelle, de tes cris de vengeance
From your criminal class and cries of vengeance,
Héritier mal-aimé de mariages illégaux,
Unloved heir of illegal marriages,
Le fils d'une putain de Nouveau-Mexico
The son of a whore from New Mexico,
De mensonges et de haine ta vie est un désert
Your life is a desert of lies and hate,
Les mémoires que tu gardes te laissent un goût amer...
The memories you keep leave a bitter taste...
Le goût de ton sang te coulant au visage
The taste of your own blood flowing on your face,
Les pierres que t'on jetées tous les gens des villages
The stones thrown at you by villagers,
N'ayant vu en toi qu'une plaie, qu'une vermine
Only seeing a wound, a vermin in you,
Toi qui avait volé, poussé par la famine
You who stole, driven by hunger,
Tenu responsable de tous leurs maux,
Held responsible for all their troubles,
Tu es le pestiféré entre tous
You are the outcast among all,
Et comme les hommes du Nord en veulent à ta peau,
And as the men from the North want your skin,
Tu fuis en solitaire où le vent te pousse...
You flee alone wherever the wind blows you...
D'un coeur pur et juste ils ont fait une pierre
From a pure and just heart, they made you a stone,
Tu es devenu le monstre qu'ils voyaient
You became the monster they saw,
La douleur d'la gangrène te ronge les chairs,
The pain of gangrene eats away your flesh,
Tes rêves sont cauchemars à tout jamais
Your dreams are nightmares forever,
Tapi dans l'ombre d'un dernier refuge
Hiding in the shadow of a last refuge,
Caché dans les décombres où la folie te gruge
Hidden in the debris where madness gnaws at you,
Toi dont le futur reste une aventure,
You whose future remains an adventure,
C'est peut-être un espoir vain que te réserves demain...
Maybe tomorrow holds a vain hope for you...
Coyote quel est ton vrai nom, enfant d'une noire incantation
Coyote what's your real name, child of a dark incantation,
Celle d'un monde de corruption, de lâcheté, de diffamation...
Of a world of corruption, cowardice, and defamation...
Contributed by Alex Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.