Traoré, nicknamed "Kar Kar" ("the one who dribbles too much" in Bambara, a reference to his soccer playing), first came to prominence in the early 1960s. He had taught himself to play guitar and developed a unique style that blended blues, Arab music, and kassonké, a style native to the Kayes region. He was a superstar in Mali and a symbol of the newly independent country. His songs were immensely popular and he enjoyed regular radio play. However, he made no recordings, and since there were no royalties payed to musicians, he was very poor and had to work odd jobs to make ends meet.
During the 1970s Traoré's popularity faded, until a surprise television appearance in 1987. Soon after this "rediscovery," Boubacar's wife passed away. Grief-stricken, he moved to France and did construction work to support his six children. While there, a British record producer discovered a tape of one of Traoré's radio performances, and he was finally signed to a record deal. His first album, Mariama, was released in 1990. Since then, Traoré has enjoyed international popularity, touring Europe, Africa, and North America.
Boubacar Traoré was the subject of the 2001 film Je chanterai pour toi ("I'll Sing For You"), released on DVD in 2005.
Duna Ma Yelema
Boubacar Traoré Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Miscellaneous
Je Danse Dans Ma Tete
L'avenir est planetaire
Y'a six milliards d'humains sur terre
Mais chacun vie sa vie en solitaire
There are six billion humans on Earth
But everyone lives his live alone
Chacun a ses habitudes
Chacun a ses certitudes
Et l'amour est la pire des solitudes
Everyone has his habits
Everyone has his certitudes
And love is the worst of solitudes
Quand l'univers m'indiffere
Quand j'ai plus envie de rien faire
Quand la vie m'endort comme un somnifere
When I'm indefferent about the Universe
When I don't feel like doing anything
When life puts me to sleep like a soporific
J'ai invente la formule
Qui vaut mieux que toutes les pilules
Meme si ca me donne l'air d'une somnambule
I invented the formula
That beats out all the pills
Even if it makes me look like a sumnambulist
Je de-de-de-danse dans ma tete
Je de-de-de-danse dans ma tete
Je de-de-de-danse dans ma tete
I d-d-d-dance in my head
I d-d-d-dance in my head
I d-d-d-dance in my head
Que je sois debout dans le metro
Que je sois assise a mon bureau
Tous les jours les memes mots
Les memes gestes de robot
Even if I'm standing in the subway
Even if I'm sitting at my desk
Every day the same words
The same robot moves
Y'a d'quoi dev'nir fou
Et vous qu'en pensez-vous?
Y'a vraiment d'quoi dev'nir fou
Mais moi je m'en fou
There's something to become insane
What do you think about that?
There's really something to become insane
But I don't care
Je de-de-de-danse dans ma tete
Je de-de-de-danse dans ma tete
Je de-de-de-danse dans ma tete
I d-d-d-dance in my head
I d-d-d-dance in my head
I d-d-d-dance in my head
Quoi qu'on fasse ou quoi qu'on dise
De partout on nous satellise
On nous epie, on nous informatise
What ever we do or what ever we say
From everywhere they stallite us
They watch us, they compute us
A force de la regarder
Je commence a me demander
Si ma tele ne va pas m'avaler
By seeing it so much
I begin to wonder
If my head won't swallow me
Dehors les neons s'allument
All right!
J'prefere regarder la lune
All night,,,
Etendue nue sur mon lit
Dans la chaleur de la nuit
Outside neon tubes turn on
All right!
I prefer to watch the moon
All night,,,
Laid naked on my bed
In the night's heat
Les sirenes de police
Hurlent comme des loups
Je voudrais comme Alice
Tomber dans un grand trou,,,
Police sirens
Howl like wolves
I would like as Alice
To fall in a big hole,,,
Je de-de-de-danse dans ma tete
Je de-de-de-danse dans ma tete
Je de-de-de-danse dans ma tete
I d-d-d-dance in my head
I d-d-d-dance in my head
I d-d-d-dance in my head
The song “Duna Ma Yelema” by Boubacar Traoré is not related to the above-mentioned lyrics of Celine Dion's “Je Danse Dans Ma Tete.” As such, I cannot provide any analysis for the same. However, I can provide an analysis of the song's meaning and the emotions it evokes.
“Duna Ma Yelema” is a song in the Bambara language that tells the story of a man who leaves his village to go to the city to find work. The song describes the hardships he faces while trying to survive in the city, the longing for his village, and the struggle to maintain his identity and culture in a new and unfamiliar environment.
The song starts with a soft acoustic guitar riff, and the lyrics paint a melancholic picture of the city that lacks the warmth and communal spirit of the small village where everyone knows each other. The chorus of the song "Duna ma yelema" means "the world is suffering," and it creates the impression of the man feeling isolated and disconnected from everyone else. He misses his home and the values that he grew up with, such as community, family, nature, and love.
As the song progresses, the tempo picks up, and the music becomes more upbeat, reflecting the man's hope for a better future. The lyrics express a willingness to keep moving forward, even in the face of adversity, and to continue searching for happiness and fulfillment.
Line by Line Meaning
L'avenir est planetaire
The future is planetary
Y'a six milliards d'humains sur terre
There are six billion humans on Earth
Mais chacun vie sa vie en solitaire
But everyone lives his live alone
Chacun a ses habitudes
Everyone has his habits
Chacun a ses certitudes
Everyone has his certitudes
Et l'amour est la pire des solitudes
And love is the worst of solitudes
Quand l'univers m'indiffere
When I'm indefferent about the Universe
Quand j'ai plus envie de rien faire
When I don't feel like doing anything
Quand la vie m'endort comme un somnifere
When life puts me to sleep like a soporific
J'ai invente la formule
I invented the formula
Qui vaut mieux que toutes les pilules
That beats out all the pills
Meme si ca me donne l'air d'une somnambule
Even if it makes me look like a sumnambulist
Je de-de-de-danse dans ma tete
I d-d-d-dance in my head
Que je sois debout dans le metro
Even if I'm standing in the subway
Que je sois assise a mon bureau
Even if I'm sitting at my desk
Tous les jours les memes mots
Every day the same words
Les memes gestes de robot
The same robot moves
Y'a d'quoi dev'nir fou
There's something to become insane
Et vous qu'en pensez-vous?
What do you think about that?
Mais moi je m'en fou
But I don't care
Quoi qu'on fasse ou quoi qu'on dise
What ever we do or what ever we say
De partout on nous satellise
From everywhere they stallite us
On nous epie, on nous informatise
They watch us, they compute us
A force de la regarder
By seeing it so much
Je commence a me demander
I begin to wonder
Si ma tele ne va pas m'avaler
If my head won't swallow me
Dehors les neons s'allument
Outside neon tubes turn on
J'prefere regarder la lune
I prefer to watch the moon
Etendue nue sur mon lit
Laid naked on my bed
Dans la chaleur de la nuit
In the night's heat
Les sirenes de police
Police sirens
Hurlent comme des loups
Howl like wolves
Je voudrais comme Alice
I would like as Alice
Tomber dans un grand trou,,,
To fall in a big hole,,,
Writer(s): boubacar traore
Contributed by Dominic E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jamesagyen5261
Far away from that. This is what I found from the Reddit about the song Duna Ma Yelema:
Duna ma yelema, bi ma de yelema la
the world has not changed, it is the people of today have changed
Ni kokè mousso mi yé , o bi maflé nalomayé
if you do something for a woman, she thinks you're an idiot
Ni kokè tié ba mi yé , o bi maflé fiyentoyé
if you do something for a man, he thinks you're blind
oh Na , Duna ma yelema, bi ma de yelema la ....
oh mother , ...
@sankofanyame
I'm a gullah geechee jamaican descent in U.S.A and ultimately a Mandinka descent/West Afrikan descent and I've come back to dis song so many times since I've found it, shed tears and all (many times). My grandfatha played blues and my fatha and uncle love da blues. I make music myself (Hip Hop). We descend from deez people, Djeliw. dis is da root of blues. da tings he sings about here resonate even here. da Earth hasn't changed but da people of today have. (many of our people are forgetting our culture & original ways of living) and even still, so many tings have remained da same. (especially within our culture, it jus looks a lil different) to any Afrikan diaspora descendant reading dis, its for a reason. our ancestas are wakin up within us and calling us back home. if you found dis video & dis comment, its bcuz you was guided here. you have a culture & home in Afrika, you have noble and honorable traditions. seek and embrace dem. one love and Afrikan liberation for all people wanting & willing to be free. ❤🖤💚
@Auntkekebaby
💯 ❤❤❤
@Morenomarromchocolate
I am from brazil we have the samba de bamba its origin is bambara although it is talking about nonsense now in the 90's it spoke of lovin for the morenas morenas is how call black women it is moorish name because we descend from the bambara moorish people.
@ibrahimcamara8059
The roots of blues, jazz, funk and pop music are from Mali.From one region of the country to another region you will find different styles. Malian music is richer.
One day a Jamaican woman whose husband is from Mali was having her hair braided by my wife, and I played a video of a diva from Mali, my country, she was amazed. She said this sounds like reggae music. The song is a traditional Malian song and not modernized at all. We used to live in Washington DC at that time. It was in 1998.
Thank you guys! We can see how the world is small.❤❤❤
@Gigi-fp8pd
She said it sounds like reggae bc reggae is based on African-American blues. Dancehall parties used to be called 'blues parties' in the 1940s. Modern Jamaican music is heavily founded in African-American music. Sir Cox Dodd, Bob Marley, Count Matchukie & others were all inspired by Blk American radio stations they picked up in Jamaica. Pre 1940s Jamaican music sounded nothing like it does today. And you are correct African-American music is rooted in sahalian music which is why we're so heavy on string instruments vs other blk cultures in the Americas that are heavy on the drums. Blk Americans came from the sahel and we retained so much of our ancestral musical culture ❤
@ibrahimcamara8059
@@Gigi-fp8pd Much appreciated! Thank you!!!
@Gigi-fp8pd
@Tshabalala-em3wj i got the receipts to prove it baby. Don't make me school you on your own culture chile. You'll be embarrassed. Hell google Sir Coxanne Dodd yourself if you don't believe me.
@Idieah
@@Gigi-fp8pdur actually stupid . If you were smart you’d know guitars are modern day version of west African ngoni which is one of the oldest string instruments . And we’ve always made music like this but ofc we don’t speak English so we don’t call the genre jazz . Learn YOUR history
@edmund6392
I hear blues, I hear jazz, I hear soul music. This is where it all started. Much respect.
@ghrtfhfgdfnfg
Yep. When I heard the melody I instantly thought of blues. Beautiful origins and connections