Sages comme des sauvages is a… Read Full Bio ↴Sages comme des sauvages, a worldplay.
Sages comme des sauvages is a French duo that implies much more than one country and two people: their debut album Largue la peau is furrowed by journeys and returns, musing and borrowings. Their instrumentarium is linked to their lives.
Ismaël brought back a bouzouki from Greece (where Ava grew up), and a cavaquinho from Brazil (where his mother lived for a while). Ava plays a rare Greek tambourine called defi, that she sets on her lap, inserting her knees inside the drum and hitting the metal jingles with a Chinese chopstick she found in the kitchen. They each write their own songs, composing together, each following their natural slope, Ismaël favoring sophistication, Ava more inclined towards the unvarnished. They are obsessed with music from La Réunion and love to sing in creole.
The name “Sages comme des sauvages” is a pun, a wordplay. In French, the expression “sages comme des images” means to be seen and not heard, literally “tamed/wise as a picture/image”. By replacing the word image with savage, the duet implies that the wise ones might not be as tamed as they seem and certainly no silent postcards. Like any good pun, their name is hard to translate, but no more than Einstürzende Neubauten.
Their debut album “Largue la peau” (Drop the skin) was released in France in September 2015 and was well received by the national radios. Since then the duet has been touring intensively across France and Belgium, spreading their unique songs, subtly cobbled together, intuitive and knowledgeable at the same time, woven in colourful moving figures, unexpected rhythms and harmonies.
Japon d'ici
Sages comme des sauvages Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pas assez acéré mes griffes sur mes points fermés
Je n’ai pas calculé le poids
Du premier objet lourd qui attaquera
Mais qui, qui me veut du bien
Qui me veut du bien finit souvent en assassin
Lui, lui le bienveillant
A fait du mal aux gens
On a pas râlé
Personne n’a râlé
Quand la route est passée
Parallèles en France
Les chemins de pauvreté
Nos sommeils ressemblent à des Japonais
Mais qui qui a décidé, qui a dessiné
Les plans de mon quartier
Lui, lui l’intelligent
Fierté de ses parents
A séparé les gens
Divise le il en reste encore
Sépare le il devient plus fort
Partage le il partage tout
Divise le essaie un peu
Sombre est ton pelage mon aimé
Sombres nos destinées si nous tardons à nous réveiller
Je les ai vus dans les maisons gâcher le sommeil de tout un Japon
Ô c'est violences la vie
Rien de tout ce qu’on m’a
Ce qu’on m’avait appris
Calcule les divisions savamment résolues
Pour tuer un Japon
Divise le il en reste encore
Sépare le il devient plus fort
Partage le il partage tout
Divise le essaie un peu
The lyrics of "Japon d'ici" by Sages comme des sauvages reflect on the theme of division and its consequences. The song begins with the singer expressing a sense of not being prepared enough, of not having sharpened their claws or calculated the weight of the first heavy object that will attack. This can be seen as a metaphor for the challenges and obstacles in life that one may not be fully prepared to face.
The lyrics then introduce the idea that those who claim to want good for others often end up causing harm, highlighting the irony of supposedly well-intentioned individuals turning into assassins. This suggests a critique of the hypocrisy and hidden agendas that can exist within seemingly benevolent actions.
The lyrics also touch upon the idea of division and separation. The singer questions who decided and designed the plans for their neighborhood, pointing to the intelligent and proud individual who, in the process, separated people. This division is depicted as something that strengthens and empowers those who enforce it. The lyrics emphasize the importance of sharing and unity, suggesting that dividing and separating only leads to more harm.
Towards the end of the song, the lyrics evoke a somber imagery, describing dark destinies and the disruption of sleep in Japanese homes. This can be interpreted as a commentary on societal issues and the negative consequences of divisions within communities.
Overall, "Japon d'ici" carries a powerful message about the harm that can arise from division, hypocrisy, and hidden agendas. It calls for unity, sharing, and a collective awakening.
Line by Line Meaning
Je n’ai pas assez
I haven't had enough
Pas assez acéré mes griffes sur mes points fermés
Not sharpened my claws on my closed points enough
Je n’ai pas calculé le poids
I haven't calculated the weight
Du premier objet lourd qui attaquera
Of the first heavy object that will attack
Mais qui, qui me veut du bien
But who, who wants good for me
Qui me veut du bien finit souvent en assassin
Who wants good for me often ends up as an assassin
Lui, lui le bienveillant
Him, him the benevolent
Lui a bien voulu
He did want
A fait du mal aux gens
He harmed people
On a pas râlé
We didn't complain
Personne n’a râlé
No one complained
Quand la route est passée
When the road passed
Parallèles en France
Parallel in France
Les chemins de pauvreté
The paths of poverty
Nos sommeils ressemblent à des Japonais
Our sleeps resemble the Japanese
Mais qui qui a décidé, qui a dessiné
But who, who decided, who drew
Les plans de mon quartier
The plans of my neighborhood
Lui, lui l’intelligent
Him, him the intelligent
Fierté de ses parents
Pride of his parents
A séparé les gens
Separated people
Divise le il en reste encore
Divide it, there's still some left
Sépare le il devient plus fort
Separate it, it becomes stronger
Partage le il partage tout
Share it, it shares everything
Divise le essaie un peu
Divide it, try a little
Sombre est ton pelage mon aimé
Dark is your fur, my beloved
Sombres nos destinées si nous tardons à nous réveiller
Dark are our destinies if we delay in waking up
Je les ai vus dans les maisons gâcher le sommeil de tout un Japon
I saw them in the houses spoil the sleep of an entire Japan
Ô c'est violences la vie
Oh, it's violent life
Rien de tout ce qu’on m’a
None of everything I was
Ce qu’on m’avait appris
What I had been taught
Calcule les divisions savamment résolues
Calculates the skillfully solved divisions
Pour tuer un Japon
To kill a Japan
Lyrics © ZAMORA PUBLISHING
Written by: Ava CARRERE, Ismael COLOMBANI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind