Les Enfoirés (French for "The Tossers"), is the name given to the singers a… Read Full Bio ↴Les Enfoirés (French for "The Tossers"), is the name given to the singers and performers in the yearly charity concert for the Restaurants du Cœur (Les Restos du Cœur).

On January 26, 1986, French humorist Coluche, who had set up Les Restos du Cœur a few months earlier, invited a number of artists and public figures to appear on television as a promotional move. The band, whose line-up was never the same, was dubbed "Les Enfoirés" in reference to one of Coluche's catchwords. After Coluche died in a motorbike accident (June 19, 1986) his widow, Véronique Colucci, called on those who had participated to continue his actions, and the band was revived for a further television show. The concept has since evolved into an annual concert, bringing together up to forty artists and celebrities from various backgrounds. The funds raised by the concerts and derived records under the name "Enfoirés" are donated to Les Restos du Cœur.

One of the key features of Les Enfoirés is "La Chanson des Enfoirés", a song which became a sort of hymn to the charity, written by Jean-Jacques Goldman, a long-time supporter of the organisation.

Noir c'est noir
Les Enfoirés Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

C'est une ville que je connais
Une chanson que je chantais.
Y a du sang sur le trottoir

C'est sa voix, poussière brûlée
C'est ses ongles sur le blindé.
Ils l'ont battu à mort, il a froid, il a peur.
J'entends battre son cœur

De n'importe quel pays, de n'importe quelle couleur.
Po Na Ba Mboka Nionso Pe Na Pikolo Nionso

Il vivait avec des mots
Qu'on passait sous le manteau
Qui brillaient comme des couteaux.

Il jouait d'la dérision
Comme d'une arme de précision.
Il est sur le ciment, mais ses chansons maudites
On les connaît par cœur,
La musique parfois a des accords majeurs
Qui font rire les enfants mais pas les dictateurs.
De n'importe quel pays, de n'importe quelle couleur.
La musique est un cri qui vient de l'intérieur.

Ça dépend des latitudes
Ça dépend d'ton attitude
C'est cent ans de solitude.

Y a du sang sur mon piano
Y a des bottes sur mon tempo.
Au-dessous du volcan, je l'entends, je l'entends
J'entends battre son cœur.
La musique parfois a des accords mineurs
Qui font grincer les dents du grand libérateur.
De n'importe quel pays, de n'importe quelle couleur.
La musique est un cri qui vient de l'intérieur.

C'est une ville que je connais
Une chanson que je chantais
Une chanson qui nous ressemble.
?

C'est la voix de Mandela
Le tempo docteur Fela
Écoute chanter la foule avec tes mots qui roulent
Et font battre son cœur.
De n'importe quel pays, de n'importe quelle couleur.
La musique est un cri qui vient de l'intérieur
De n'importe quel pays, de n'importe quelle couleur.
La musique est un cri qui vient de l'intérieur
De n'importe quel pays, de n'importe quelle couleur.
La musique est un cri qui vient de l'intérieur
Po Na Ba Mboka Nionso Pe Na Pikolo Nionso
La musique est un cri qui vient de l'intérieur
Po Na Ba Mboka Nionso Pe Na Pikolo Nionso

La musique est un cri qui vient de l'intérieur
Po Na Ba Mboka Nionso Pe Na Pikolo Nionso

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Les Enfoirés's song "Noir c'est noir" address the themes of violence, oppression, and the power of music as a form of resistance. The opening lines describe a city the singer knows well, while also acknowledging the song itself as a means of expression. The mention of blood on the sidewalk suggests a violent and disturbing reality that exists within this city.

The song continues to explore the story of a person who lived with words that were passed around secretly and had a cutting impact. These words were like shining knives, used as a form of derision and precise weaponry against the oppressors. However, the person is portrayed as being beaten to death, left cold and afraid. Despite this tragedy, the singer can still hear their heartbeat, a symbol of their enduring spirit and resistance.

The lyrics also highlight the universal nature of music and its ability to transcend borders and divisions. It states that music can be a powerful tool, capable of making children laugh but not dictators. The phrase "Po Na Ba Mboka Nionso Pe Na Pikolo Nionso" is in Lingala, a Congolese language, and translates to "In any country, in any color." This reinforces the idea that music knows no boundaries and can reach anyone, regardless of their background or nationality.

The chorus emphasizes the idea that music is a cry that comes from within. The lyrics mention the different latitudes and attitudes that can influence how music is received. It alludes to the complexity and loneliness that can be associated with music, and how it can be seen as an expression of deep emotions and personal struggles. The mention of blood on the piano and boots on the tempo further symbolizes the violence and oppression faced by those who dare to use music as a form of protest.

Overall, "Noir c'est noir" is a powerful song that reflects on the dark realities of society while celebrating the power of music as a form of resistance and expression.

Line by Line Meaning

C'est une ville que je connais
I am familiar with a specific city

Une chanson que je chantais.
A song that I used to sing

Y a du sang sur le trottoir
There is blood on the pavement

C'est sa voix, poussière brûlée
It is his voice, burnt dust

C'est ses ongles sur le blindé.
It is his nails on the armored vehicle

Ils l'ont battu à mort, il a froid, il a peur.
They beat him to death, he is cold, he is scared

J'entends battre son cœur
I hear his heart beating

De n'importe quel pays, de n'importe quelle couleur.
From any country, of any color

Po Na Ba Mboka Nionso Pe Na Pikolo Nionso
In all languages, in all dialects

Il vivait avec des mots
He lived with words

Qu'on passait sous le manteau
That we passed under the cloak

Qui brillaient comme des couteaux.
That shone like knives

Il jouait d'la dérision
He played with derision

Comme d'une arme de précision.
Like a precision weapon

Il est sur le ciment, mais ses chansons maudites
He is on the cement, but his cursed songs

On les connaît par cœur,
We know them by heart

La musique parfois a des accords majeurs
Sometimes the music has major chords

Qui font rire les enfants mais pas les dictateurs.
That make children laugh but not dictators

Ça dépend des latitudes
It depends on the latitudes

Ça dépend d'ton attitude
It depends on your attitude

C'est cent ans de solitude.
It's a hundred years of solitude

Y a du sang sur mon piano
There is blood on my piano

Y a des bottes sur mon tempo.
There are boots on my tempo

Au-dessous du volcan, je l'entends, je l'entends
Below the volcano, I hear it, I hear it

La musique parfois a des accords mineurs
Sometimes the music has minor chords

Qui font grincer les dents du grand libérateur.
That make the great liberator's teeth grind

C'est une ville que je connais
I am familiar with a specific city

Une chanson que je chantais
A song that I used to sing

Une chanson qui nous ressemble.
A song that resembles us

C'est la voix de Mandela
It is Mandela's voice

Le tempo docteur Fela
The tempo of Doctor Fela

Écoute chanter la foule avec tes mots qui roulent
Listen to the crowd singing with your rolling words

Et font battre son cœur.
And make his heart beat

De n'importe quel pays, de n'importe quelle couleur.
From any country, of any color