Kassav' was formed in 1979 by Pierre-Edouard Décimus, a long-time professional musician who worked with Freddy Marshall. Together, the two of them decided to take carnival music and make it a more modern and polished style. It was the leading band to emerge from the formative years of Zouk. They gave the style a pan-Caribbean sound by taking elements from kompa, salsa, and calypso, and became world famous. Their first album, Love and Ka Dance (1980), established the sound of zouk.
Kassav' continued to grow more popular, both as a group and with several members' solo careers, finally peaking in 1985 with Yélélé, which featured the international hit "Zouk la sé sèl médikaman nou ni" (meaning "Zouk is our only drug" in French Antillean Creole) With this hit, zouk rapidly became a widespread dance craze in Latin America and the Caribbean, and was popular in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Zouk performers became known for wildly theatrical concerts featuring special effects spectacles and colorful costumes.
An Ti Ayen
Kassav' Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
An tou piti ayen ki ké sa tchenbé dèmen
Lésé lèspwa viré pa finèt la
An tou piti ayen ki ké fè la tè tounen
Nou sé lé sa fasil, sonjé plita lanmè ké luil
Mé abò ki gomyé ou_ka batché
Pas' pèsonn lan pa sav, a ki lè gro van ka lévé
Ki'w palé di travay
Ou byen lanmou, sé menm bagay
Nou tout plisimyé tchenbé sa nou trapé
Mé lè nou douté, nou za paré ladjé
Nou ka kriyé anmwé
An mwé, an mwé, an mwé
Nou lé touvé an ti ayen
An mwé, an mwé, an mwé
Ki pa ni koulè malpapay
Wouvè la pòt la, pou lésé'y antré
Epi ou ké wè, mwen bizwen'w osi
Kon an ti limyè, ka mandé grandi
Sé an didan nou, i ké pran chalè
Gadé, sé an ti bouji ka kléré
An toutwèl ki pòkò ni zwèl, van pé chayéy
Gadé, Sé an ti bouji ka kléré
An ti flanm frajil
An toutwèl ki pòkò ni zwèl, van pé chayéy
Si'w lé, mwen lé, adé, nou pé, tchenbé
Si'w lé, mwen lé, an ti ayen, pou nou gen-yen
Si'w lé mwen lé, adé, nou pé, tchenbé
Si'w lé, mwen lé, an ti ayen, pou nou gen-yen
Lésé ti bwen lèspwa viré pa finèt la
An tou piti ayen ki ké sa tchenbé dèmen
Lésé lèspwa viré pa finèt la
An tou piti ayen ki ké fè la tè tounen
Si'w lé mwen lé, adé, nou pé, tchenbé
Si'w lé mwen lé, an tou piti ayen, pou nou gen-yen
The lyrics of Kassav's "An Ti Ayen" is a beautiful expression of hope and perseverance. The song starts with the lines "Lésé ti bwen lèspwa viré pa finèt la, An tou piti ayen ki ké sa tchenbé dèmen" which can be translated as "Leave a little bit of hope, because tomorrow everything can change, An Ti Ayen (a small thing) that will hold on till tomorrow." The song encourages holding on to hope, even in the smallest things, because it can be the light that helps you face the challenges of life.
The next stanza talks about how easy it is to remember the negative things in life and how difficult it is to stay positive. The lines "Mé abò ki gomyé ou_ka batché, Pas' pèsonn lan pa sav, a ki lè gro van ka lévé, Tou sa sé lavi ya, Ki'w palé di travay, Ou byen lanmou, sé menm bagay" convey the idea that life is unpredictable, and we should not take anything for granted. Whether it is work or love, everything is the same because we never know what will happen.
The chorus "An mwé, an mwé, an mwé, Nou lé touvé an ti ayen, An mwé, an mwé, an mwé Ki pa ni koulè malpapay" emphasizes the importance of finding hope in the small things. The song encourages us to open the door to new possibilities and believe that we too can grow, just like a small light that has the potential to shine bright.
Line by Line Meaning
Lésé ti bwen lèspwa viré pa finèt la
Do not let a small disappointment bring you down and give up.
An tou piti ayen ki ké sa tchenbé dèmen
Hold on to every little thing that you have today, for it may be what you need tomorrow.
Lésé lèspwa viré pa finèt la
Do not let your hope dwindle and disappear.
An tou piti ayen ki ké fè la tè tounen
Even the littlest things can make a big impact and create a change in the world.
Nou sé lé sa fasil, sonjé plita lanmè ké luil
We think it is easy, but we must remember the powerful force of the ocean's waves.
Mé abò ki gomyé ou_ka batché
But sometimes obstacles may arise and cause us to stumble.
Pas' pèsonn lan pa sav, a ki lè gro van ka lévé
No one knows when the big winds will blow.
Tou sa sé lavi ya
All of this is life.
Ki'w palé di travay
Whether you speak of work.
Ou byen lanmou, sé menm bagay
Or of love, they are the same thing.
Nou tout plisimyé tchenbé sa nou trapé
All of us should hold onto what we catch.
Mé lè nou douté, nou za paré ladjé
But when we doubt, we are already preparing to let go.
Nou ka kriyé anmwé
Then we cry out, 'help me'.
An mwé, an mwé, an mwé
In me, in me, in me.
Nou lé touvé an ti ayen
We want to find a small something.
Ki pa ni koulè malpapay
That does not have the color of papaya (which is a metaphor for difficult times).
Wouvè la pòt la, pou lésé'y antré
Open the door and let it come in.
Epi ou ké wè, mwen bizwen'w osi
And then you will see that I need you too.
Kon an ti limyè, ka mandé grandi
Like a little light, asking to grow.
Sé an didan nou, i ké pran chalè
It belongs to us, and it will warm us from within.
Gadé, sé an ti bouji ka kléré
Look, it is a little candle that shines.
An toutwèl ki pòkò ni zwèl, van pé chayéy
On all sides where there are still shadows, the wind may blow.
Si'w lé, mwen lé, adé, nou pé, tchenbé
If you want to, I want to, then we can hold on.
Si'w lé, mwen lé, an ti ayen, pou nou gen-yen
If you want to, I want to, for us to have a little something.
Lyrics © PEERMUSIC FRANCE, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JOCELYNE BEROARD, JEAN-PHILIPPE MARTHELY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Vi
on Mwen di ou awa
I Tell You Now / I Am Telling You Now