Singing in E… Read Full Bio ↴Tabou Combo got started in 1968 in Petion-Ville, Haiti.
Singing in English, Spanish, French or their native Creole, Tabou serves a hot mix of grooves and textures with roots from around the world. He provides a strong dose of the Dominican Republic's national dance music, meringue. In addition, there is Haiti's dance-till-you-drop carnival music, rara, and the hypnotic drums of Haitian voodoo rituals. Add to that quadrilles and contra-dances from Haiti's French colonizers and funk from the American soul era to James Brown for good measure. The mixture of all these influences makes for a serious bass line that brings new meaning to the word bottom; layer upon layer of accents courtesy of drums, percussion and congas; the constant intertwining of two guitars with the feel of West African Soukous topped with bright piano riff and the brassy sound of a 3-man horn section.
Zap Zap
Tabou Combo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Zap Zap
Wooy sa sa ye?
Ou minm ki lujanboje
M pra'l mande'w yon ti eskplikasyon tande
Wooy wooy sa sa ye o?
Ou minm k'ap pale moun mal
Wooy sa sa ye?
Ou minm ki dormi nan cafou
M'ap mande yon ti clairsisment souple
Wooy wooy sa sa ye o?
Ou minm k'ap pale moun mal
N chita poun'n fer yon ti rezodment tande
Nap mache fer bagay pa si pa la
Nou pa pale nan zafer moun
Tout lajounen yo chita sou do'n mezanmi (nou pa mouye)
Nou pa mouye, nou pa janm mouye (nou pa janm mouye)
Ki sa pou nou fer? Larivier desan, nou pa janm mouye
Sa sa ye? Sa sa ye? Sa sa ye? Sa sa ye? (3fs)
Se nan lari'm te ye, lapli tombe nou pa mouye (2fs)
Ki sa'l ye? Ki sa'l ye? Ki sa'l ye? Ki sa'l ye?
Soleil leve, lapli tombe, loraj gonde, gade nou pa mouye (3fs)
Se nan lari'm te ye lapli tombe, nou pa mouye (2fs)
Soleil leve, lapli tombe, gade nou pa mouye mes zanmi (2fs)
Gade nou pa mouye
Yo pale nou mal, yo di koze sou nou, gade nou pa mouye
Nan tout jounal, nan tout television, gade nou pa mouye mes zanmi
Soleil leve, lapli tombe, gade nou pa mouye
Gade gade gade gade gade nou pa mouye mes zanmi
Soleil leve, lapli tombe, gade nou pa mouye
Soleil leve, lapli tombe, gade nou pa mouye mes zanmi
Se zap zap (2fs)
Kriye la jeunesse rele
Se zap zap (2fs)
Kriye tout moun ap rele
Soleil leve, lapli tombe, loraj gonde, gade nou pa mouye
Soleil leve, lapli tombe, gade nou pa mouye (2fs)
Gade nou pa mouye
Nan tout jounal, nan tout television, gade nou pa mouye
Yo pale nou mal, yo di koze sou nou, gade nou pa mouye
Nou fer nostrande Eastern Parkway, gade nou pa mouye
Se pa sou Brookly Bridge la pou nou ta vin mouye
Podiab nou podiab nou podiab nou (2fs)
Po'w po'w po'w po'w (3fs)
Gade nou pa mouye (4fs)
Se zap zap (2fs)
Kriye la jeunesse rele
Se zap zap (2fs)
Kriye tout moun ap rele
The lyrics to Tabou Combo's song Zap Zap express frustration towards those who speak ill of others instead of coming to a solution. The chorus repeats the phrase "gade nou pa mouye," which translates to "look at us, we don't get wet," a metaphor for not being affected by negative comments or actions. The verses ask various individuals, such as those who sleep in shady areas or those who speak negatively about others, for explanations as to why they behave the way they do. The song also acknowledges that despite facing challenges, such as rain and storms, the singer and their community remain strong and resilient. The repeated use of "zap zap" in the chorus is a call for unity and for the youth to rise up against negativity.
Overall, the song sends a message of strength and perseverance in the face of negativity and adversity. It encourages listeners to be resilient in the face of negativity and to unite against those who seek to divide them.
Line by Line Meaning
Wooy sa sa ye?
What's going on?
Ou minm ki lujanboje
You are the one who is being suspicious
M pra'l mande'w yon ti eskplikasyon tande
I am going to ask you for an explanation
Wooy wooy sa sa ye o?
Hey, what's going on?
Ou minm k'ap pale moun mal
You are the one who speaks ill of others
N tuse pou'm fer yon ti rezodment tande
I am coughing to suggest something to you
Nap mache fer bagay pa si pa la
We are getting things done even if things aren't perfect
Nou pa pale nan zafer moun
We're not talking about other people's business
Tout lajounen yo chita sou do'n mezanmi (nou pa mouye)
They sit on our backs all day (but we don't get wet)
Nou pa mouye, nou pa janm mouye (nou pa janm mouye)
We don't get wet, we never get wet (we never get wet)
Ki sa pou nou fer? Larivier desan, nou pa janm mouye
What can we do? Even when the river flows down, we never get wet
Sa sa ye? Sa sa ye? Sa sa ye? Sa sa ye? (3fs)
What's going on? What's going on? What's going on? What's going on?
Se nan lari'm te ye, lapli tombe nou pa mouye (2fs)
It was on the street where it rained, but we didn't get wet (2x)
Ki sa'l ye? Ki sa'l ye? Ki sa'l ye? Ki sa'l ye?
What is it? What is it? What is it? What is it?
Soleil leve, lapli tombe, loraj gonde, gade nou pa mouye (3fs)
Sun rises, rain pours, thunder strikes, look we don't get wet (3x)
Soleil leve, lapli tombe, loraj gonde, gade nou pa mouye (2fs)
Sun rises, rain pours, thunder strikes, look we don't get wet (2x)
Gade nou pa mouye mes zanmi (2fs)
Look, we don't get wet, my friends (2x)
Yo pale nou mal, yo di koze sou nou, gade nou pa mouye
They speak ill of us, they gossip about us, but look, we don't get wet
Nou fer nostrande Eastern Parkway, gade nou pa mouye
We walk on Eastern Parkway, look we don't get wet
Se pa sou Brookly Bridge la pou nou ta vin mouye
It's not on the Brooklyn Bridge that we're going to get wet
Podiab nou podiab nou podiab nou (2fs)
Our feet hurt, our feet hurt (2x)
Po'w po'w po'w po'w (3fs)
Pow, pow, pow, pow (3x)
Se zap zap (2fs)
It's zap zap (2x)
Kriye la jeunesse rele
The youth are crying out
Se zap zap (2fs)
It's zap zap (2x)
Kriye tout moun ap rele
Everyone is crying out
Contributed by Jackson K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Lorame
on Baissez bas
Good
Jeffrey Saint
on Pi Gro Pi Lon
Tabou sert un mélange chaud de rainures et de textures avec des racines dans le monde entier .