The son of a successful jeweler, Lô was born in Bobo-Dioulasso, a small village near Senegal's border with Mali. He grew up speaking Bambara, Wolof, and French. As a youngster, he became fascinated with music and taught himself to play drums and guitar. In 1976, he accepted an invitation to join a local group, Orchestra Volta Jazz, as a percussionist. He remained with the band until moving to the capital city of Dakar in 1980.
Lô quickly became involved with the music scene of Dakar. After a three-year stint as drummer for progressive vocalist Ouza, he joined the house band at the Hotel Savana in 1984. Although he performed with the group for a little over a year, the experience exposed him to a global range of pop influences.
Emigrating to France in 1985, Lô found work as a session drummer in Paris. Soon afterward, he purchased his first guitar and began writing songs. Although he formed a band with Ivoirean and French musicians and began working on an album in 1987, the group separated before its completion. Lô's debut solo album, Doxandeme (Immigrants), was released as a cassette in 1990. Despite receiving a Nouveau Talent award, the album fell short of Lô's artistic expectations. Although he began working on a second album, he became disenchanted and canceled the project. For the next four years, he maintained a low profile.
In 1995, Lô convinced Youssou N'Dour, whom he met in 1989 while playing on an album by traditional Wolof griot singer N'diaga M'baye, to produce an album for him. The resulting album, Ne La Thiass, was released on N'Dour's label, Jololi, shortly before Lô joined the multi-artist Jololi Revue tour in November 1996. Lô continued to promote the album during a European tour with his own eight-piece band, N'Diguel, in April 1997. The same year, Lô received Best Newcomer and Kora All-American awards in South Africa. Lô continued to expand his following to the United States as a featured performer with Africa Fete in 1998. The following year, he received the Ordre National de Merite de Leon from the president of Senegal. In 2000, he returned to recording with the release of Bambay Gueej. The title means "bamba, ocean of peace," and was co-produced by Nick Gold and Youssou N'Dour. Lamp Fall appeared in 2006 from Nonesuch Records. ~ Craig Harris, All Music Guide
Il N'Est Jamais Trop Tard
Cheikh Lô Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Il n'est jamais trop tard,
Il n'est jamais trop tard,
Il n'est jamais trop tard,
Il n'est jamais trop tard,
Mes copains ont des voitures,
Il y en a d'autres a l'aventure,
Mes copains ils sont partis,
Pour servir mon pays,
Je suis la.
Il n'est jamais trop tard,
Il n'est jamais trop tard,
Il n'est jamais trop tard,
Il n'est jamais trop tard,
Mes copains ont des voitures,
Il y en a d'autres a l'aventure,
Mes copains ont des villas
Mes copains ils sont partis,
Oh mais moi je suis la,
Pour servir mon pays,
Je suis la,
Petit a petit, l'oiseau fait son nid,
Petit a petit, l'oiseau fait son nid,
Petit a petit, l'oiseau fait son nid.
Oh nono kononi panolia
Oy!
Il n'est jamais trop tard,
Il n'est jamais trop tard,
Il n'est jamais trop tard,
Il n'est jamais trop tard,
Mes copains ont des voitures,
Mes copains ont des villas,
Mes copains ils sont partis,
Il y en a d'autres a l'aventure,
Oh mais moi je suis la,
Pour servir mon pays,
Toujours la,
Petit a petit, l'oiseau fait son nid,
Petit a petit, l'oiseau fait son nid,
Petit a petit, l'oiseau fait son nid,
Petit a petit, l'oiseau fait son nid.
Oh nono kononi panolia
Oh nono kononi panolia
Oh la la la...
Oh no no kononi panolia
... kononi panolia
Mes copains ils sont partis,
Il y en a d'autres a l'aventure,
Petit a petit, oh oui,
Petit a petit,
Petit a petit,
kononi panolia
Petit a petit,
kononi panolia
kononi panolia
kononi panolia ...
The song "Il N'est Jamais Trop Tard" by Cheikh Lô is a song that celebrates never giving up on one's goals and dreams. The song is repetitive with the chorus stating “Il n'est jamais trop tard” which translates to "It's never too late" in English. The lyrics are addressing the fact that his friends have fancy cars, some have gone off to explore, and others have beautiful houses, yet he remains behind to serve his country. However, he remains optimistic, stating that it is never too late to catch up.
The song can be interpreted in two ways. Firstly, it speaks to the African livelihoods, especially from the Senegalese context, about the need to not give up despite how life might seem hard. Secondly, the song can be interpreted as a call for African unity and the need to remain persistent in the face of struggle.
The repetition in the chorus helps to emphasize the songwriter's message that it’s never too late to achieve one's goals. It is a song that is intended to uplift and inspire people to push on despite challenges that they may face.
Line by Line Meaning
Il n'est jamais trop tard,
It's never too late,
Il n'est jamais trop tard,
It's never too late,
Il n'est jamais trop tard,
It's never too late,
Il n'est jamais trop tard,
It's never too late,
Mes copains ont des voitures,
My friends have cars,
Il y en a d'autres a l'aventure,
Others are off on adventures,
Mes copains ils sont partis,
My friends have left,
Oh mais moi je suis la,
But I am still here,
Pour servir mon pays,
To serve my country,
Je suis la.
I am here.
Mes copains ont des villas
My friends have villas
Il n'est jamais trop tard,
It's never too late,
Il n'est jamais trop tard,
It's never too late,
Il n'est jamais trop tard,
It's never too late,
Il n'est jamais trop tard,
It's never too late,
Mes copains ont des voitures,
My friends have cars,
Mes copains ont des villas,
My friends have villas,
Mes copains ils sont partis,
My friends have left,
Il y en a d'autres a l'aventure,
Others are off on adventures,
Oh mais moi je suis la,
But I am still here,
Pour servir mon pays,
To serve my country,
Toujours la,
Always here,
Petit a petit, l'oiseau fait son nid,
Little by little, the bird builds its nest,
Petit a petit, l'oiseau fait son nid,
Little by little, the bird builds its nest,
Petit a petit, l'oiseau fait son nid.
Little by little, the bird builds its nest.
Oh nono kononi panolia
Oh no no, don't be afraid
Oy!
Hey!
Il n'est jamais trop tard,
It's never too late,
Il n'est jamais trop tard,
It's never too late,
Il n'est jamais trop tard,
It's never too late,
Il n'est jamais trop tard,
It's never too late,
Mes copains ont des voitures,
My friends have cars,
Mes copains ont des villas,
My friends have villas,
Mes copains ils sont partis,
My friends have left,
Il y en a d'autres a l'aventure,
Others are off on adventures,
Oh mais moi je suis la,
But I am still here,
Pour servir mon pays,
To serve my country,
Toujours la,
Always here,
Petit a petit, l'oiseau fait son nid,
Little by little, the bird builds its nest,
Petit a petit, l'oiseau fait son nid,
Little by little, the bird builds its nest,
Petit a petit, l'oiseau fait son nid,
Little by little, the bird builds its nest,
Petit a petit, l'oiseau fait son nid.
Little by little, the bird builds its nest.
Oh nono kononi panolia
Oh no no, don't be afraid
Oh nono kononi panolia
Oh no no, don't be afraid
Oh la la la...
Oh la la la...
Oh no no kononi panolia
Oh no no, don't be afraid
... kononi panolia
... don't be afraid
Mes copains ils sont partis,
My friends have left,
Il y en a d'autres a l'aventure,
Others are off on adventures,
Petit a petit, oh oui,
Little by little, oh yes,
Petit a petit,
Little by little,
Petit a petit,
Little by little,
kononi panolia
Don't be afraid
Petit a petit,
Little by little,
kononi panolia
Don't be afraid
kononi panolia
Don't be afraid
kononi panolia ...
Don't be afraid...
Writer(s): bembeya jazz national
Contributed by Leah N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@niangbaloniangbalo7820
Kif 2021🇸🇳🇸🇳 diadieuf baye fall long vie
@anthelm114
More or less for our non french friends:
It's never too late, it's never too late
My friends have cars, my friends have houses, others are in adventure, some are gone, but me, i'm here to serve my country.
@mohammad2089
c'est le matin en paix que j'écoute cette chanson.
@simofas4714
je viens de decouvrir ce chanteur... rien à dire... je recommande!
@doushanemoussa7214
merci beaucoup bravo l'artiste j'adore la mélodie
@AliBedar
Je commence ces dernières journées avec cette belle musique.
@zogadio9384
2021
@rap7123
absolutely utterly loving this guy, brings me so much joy <3
@mamourdieye6745
Il n'est jamais trop tard
@mohamedmohamud3639
loving this stuff wonderful music bravo senegal respect from canada