Angola
Bernard Lavilliers feat. Bonga Lyrics

Je connais qu'un seul endroit
The singer knows only one place where the particular blues is played.

Mais c'est pas fréquentable
The place is not a suitable or safe one.

Où l'on joue ce blues là
The place is where the mentioned blues is played.

Aussi noir que le sable
The blues is as dark and somber as the sand.

Je connais qu'une seule voix
There's only one voice that can do it justice.

Qu'en est vraiment capable
Only that voice can truly sing it well.

C'est profond, plus fort que toi
The blues is deep and powerful, stronger than any individual.

Il n'est pas responsable
The voice is not accountable for the power of the blues.

C'est le blues d'Angola
The blues is a product of Angola.

Mineur et solitaire
It's a blues in a minor key and carries a sense of isolation.

Qui nous vient de Luanda
The blues comes from the capital city of Angola, Luanda.

C'est un chant de poussière
The blues is a song of dust and rubble, of destruction and chaos.

Fallait partir, laisser là
One had to leave it all behind, to abandon one's dreams and the destructive war.

Tes rêves et cette guerre
One had to forget one's dreams and the war.

Et l'or noir que tu n'as pas
One had to leave the oil resources behind, which mercenaries are fighting for.

Pour tous ces mercenaires
The mercenaries have blood on their hands and are not to be trusted with the resource.

Qui ont du sang sur les mains
The mercenaries are responsible for deaths and atrocities.

Jusqu'au bout de l'Enfer
The mercenaries are willing to go to any extent for their goals.

Cours plus vite, ne dis rien
The person needs to run away and not speak of the horrors of war.

Sous cette pluie de fer
The person is trying to survive under a rain of bullets, bombs, and war material.

Tu n'en parles jamais, toi
The artist is talking to someone who never speaks of their experiences.

Toi mon ami, mon frère
The artist is addressing someone who is close to them.

Qui as tu perdu là-bas
The singer asks the person who they have lost in Angola.

Couché dans la poussière
The person the artist is referring to has lost someone who died in the conflict and was buried in the dust.

J'veux du sang pour 20 caras
The singer wants blood (revenge) for a large sum of money (20 caras).

Des diamants, des rivières
The singer is also seeking diamonds and rivers without thinking of the cost.

Pétroliers du Panama
The singer is referring to the companies and corporations from Panama involved in the conflict with an interest in the oil resources.

Vos dollars m'exaspèrent
The artist is frustrated with the greed and the effect of capitalism on the conflict at hand.

Alukenu n'gondofua
This verse is in a different language (Kimbundu) translating to mean either 'The boss is dead' or 'May the boss live long.'

N'ga mu binga kià - ué
This line's meaning is unknown or ambiguous as it is in Kimbundu.

Muene ondo kala beniaba
This line's meaning is also unclear as it is in Kimbundu.

Eme n'gondoiame
This line's meaning is ambiguous as it is in Kimbundu.

Zambi uà n'gui bane oh mona
This line is in Kimbundu and translates to 'Oh God, we do not have water.'

N'ga mu valele
The line's exact meaning is ambiguous, but it translates to referring to the act of walking.

Mona mona muene
This could be a vocalization of the Kimbundu term 'muene'.

Kalunga n'gumba
This phrase also appears earlier in the song, and it is a reference to the African culture of ancestral spirits.

Mona muene
This is a repeat of the previous line, with 'muene' again potentially referring to the spirit world.