Massilia Sound System re-popularised the city of Marseille in the 1990s, in conjunction with the success of Olympique de Marseille, the local football club. Along with that empowered an entire generation of young Marseillais with a positive identity, proud of their city and their capacity to embrace different cultural traditions.
Canti
Massilia Sound System Lyrics
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Riddim au dedins, fora leis embocants!
Va sas ragga, tornamai fem abans,
Cantam per lo monde e de marsilha siam
La mar, lo port, lo ciele e lei barris
L'ombra dei carrieras dedins bagatoni
Aquo's mon liech, aquo's mon camin
Blu e blanc vaici lo drapeu qu'ai chausit
Repic
Canti, cantas, canta, cantam
Riddim au dedins, fora leis embocants!
Dansi, dansas, dansa, dansam
Zo! raggamuffin cau estre bolegant
Marsilha, oc, es pas soleta
E ieu charri ame tota la planeta
Lei papiers, lei visas, lei porta-casquettas
N'ia pron, fau que tot aquo peta!
Saupras colega co qu'es ma nacion
Lei rebelaires de totei generacions
Gies de frontiera, d'administracion
Que de toteis estats, va sas, fau secession
Repic
Totei leis estrassas que fan montar la pression
Dins toei lei caires te fan declaracions
Te dien que trbalhan per la populacion
Parlan d'educacion, parlan d'integracion L'integracion e mai l'educacion
T'en donarai aqui le sieuna definicion
Manipulacion e assimilacion
Dins son monde de fadoli ta participacion
Repic
A nostre torn de parlar fort
I a trop de temps, va sas, que fem lei morts
Me fau de voia, d'estrambord
Que lei gens vivents me fan batre lo cor
Vida vidanta, vies, vaqui mon aliment
La votz, lo son, lo beat vaqui mon armament
Jita tei paraulas, bofa coma lo vent
Totjorn e per tot te cau balhar tei sentiments
Repic
Lei mestres, ailamont, te demandan jamai
Si tot aquo te plai
Taisa te mon beu, t'enganaran mai
Te comptan lei dollars mai cu porta lo fais!
Aqu'os verai, aquo's pas un pantai
Mandi ma canson e s'arrestara jamai
Per planas, montagnas e dins lei garragais
Te va dieu ragga e totjorn va dirai!
The lyrics of Massilia Sound System's song "Canti" are a call to dance and celebrate together, with the band proclaiming their identity as from Marseille and their pride in it. The references to the sea, the port, the blue and white flag of Marseille, and the shadowy lanes that are their own paths, all root the song in a sense of place and belonging. In contrast, the song also calls out the systems of control and manipulation that keep people down, like paperwork, visas, and false promises of education and integration.
The repetition of "canti, cantas, canta, cantam" and "dansi, dansas, dansa, dansam" in the chorus invite the listener to join in the celebration and to move their bodies to the rhythm inside and out. The verses go on to mix Marseille-specific language with more general themes of rebellion and the struggle against oppression, with the band affirming their own voice and the power of words and feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Aquo vai ben? alor dansam!
What's going on? Let's dance then!
Riddim au dedins, fora leis embocants!
Rhythm inside, outside the hypocrites!
Va sas ragga, tornamai fem abans,
Let's go, let's do reggae, let's do it again!
Cantam per lo monde e de marsilha siam
We sing for the world, and we're from Marseille.
La mar, lo port, lo ciele e lei barris
The sea, the port, the sky, and the neighborhoods.
L'ombra dei carrieras dedins bagatoni
The shadow of the streets inside the housing projects.
Aquo's mon liech, aquo's mon camin
This is my place, this is my path.
Blu e blanc vaici lo drapeu qu'ai chausit
Blue and white, this is the flag I've chosen.
Canti, cantas, canta, cantam
I sing, you sing, he/she sings, we sing.
Riddim au dedins, fora leis embocants!
Rhythm inside, outside the hypocrites!
Dansi, dansas, dansa, dansam
I dance, you dance, he/she dances, we dance.
Zo! raggamuffin cau estre bolegant
Hey! Raggamuffin must be elegant.
Marsilha, oc, es pas soleta
Marseille, yes, is not alone.
E ieu charri ame tota la planeta
And I carry the whole world with me.
Lei papiers, lei visas, lei porta-casquettas
The papers, the visas, the hat carriers.
N'ia pron, fau que tot aquo peta!
There are too many, everything has to explode!
Saupras colega co qu'es ma nacion
Know colleagues what my nation is.
Lei rebelaires de totei generacions
The rebels of all generations.
Gies de frontiera, d'administracion
Borderlines, administration.
Que de toteis estats, va sas, fau secession
That in all countries, you know, there must be secession.
Totei leis estrassas que fan montar la pression
All the streets that increase the pressure.
Dins toei lei caires te fan declaracions
In all the districts they make you declarations.
Te dien que trbalhan per la populacion
They tell you they work for the people.
Parlan d'educacion, parlan d'integracion
They talk about education, they talk about integration.
L'integracion e mai l'educacion
Integration and education.
T'en donarai aqui le sieuna definicion
I'll give you here the same definition.
Manipulacion e assimilacion
Manipulation and assimilation.
Dins son monde de fadoli ta participacion
In their world of maggots, your participation.
A nostre torn de parlar fort
It's our turn to speak out loud.
I a trop de temps, va sas, que fem lei morts
It's been too long, you know, that we're killing ourselves.
Me fau de voia, d'estrambord
I need to scream, to go mad.
Que lei gens vivents me fan batre lo cor
That living people make my heart beat.
Vida vidanta, vies, vaqui mon aliment
Life that gives life, sees, this is my food.
La votz, lo son, lo beat vaqui mon armament
The voice, the sound, the beat, this is my ammunition.
Jita tei paraulas, bofa coma lo vent
Throw your words, blow like the wind.
Totjorn e per tot te cau balhar tei sentiments
Always and everywhere you have to give your feelings.
Lei mestres, alamont, te demandan jamai
The masters, from up there, never ask you.
Si tot aquo te plai
If all this pleases you.
Taisa te mon beu, t'enganaran mai
Shut up my friend, they will deceive you more.
Te comptan lei dollars mai cu porta lo fais!
They count the dollars, but who's carrying the expenses!
Aqu'os verai, aquo's pas un pantai
This is true, this is not a beach.
Mandi ma canson e s'arrestara jamai
I send my song and it will never stop.
Per planas, montagnas e dins lei garragais
Through plains, mountains and in the scrublands.
Te va dieu ragga e totjorn va dirai!
They will say you're ragga and I will always say it!
Contributed by Liliana P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.