Jean moved to Brooklyn, New York when he was nine, then to Northern New Jersey, where he began playing the guitar and studying jazz in his high school. In 1987, Jean, his friend (so close they told people they were cousins growing up) Prakazrel Michel (Pras) and his classmate, Lauryn Hill, formed a group called the Tranzlator Crew before becoming The Fugees. Wyclef worked as a cabdriver.
Recently he has been finding success as a collaborator - with his turn on Shakira's 2006 track 'Hips Don't Lie' hitting number one in many countries around the world.
In August of 2010, Jean announced his intent to seek the presidency of Haiti. This move came after his increasingly-high profile humanitarian work in the wake of the earthquake that devastated that nation.
Carnival
Wyclef Jean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
ki santi fi an se tèt pou li ye(uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh)
E ou santi ke ou pagen peche, ou mèt kalonnen poul lan ak kout ròch
Kade fi kap pran ròch(kadeeeee ròch), kade fi kap pran kout ròch
Original lan, original lan, original la, men orginal lan
Original lan, original lan, original, Ti Mano original lan
Original lan, original lan, original, Refugee orginal lan
Surprise, it's Sweet Mickey y'all
Si nou te jwe Konpa, se konsa nou ta mate
Matin, midi, swa New York ta yon kanaval
Si nou te jwe Konpa, si nou te Mate zo, Se konsa li ta sonnen
Lè nou pral fè bal, pagen kote pou nou met moun
Ankò
Mwen pavle tèt poul, mwen pavle Kentucky Fried Chicken(oh ho)
Mwen pavle sis piece nugget, on fam Ayisyen mwen bezwen sou kotem(tanpri souple)
Mwen pavle bagay ki hmm... mwen pavle chinese food
Mwen pavle sis piece nugget, on fam Ayisyen mwen bezwen so kotem(tande)
Fam Ayisyen, nou konnen nou se nimero en
Pa okipe nou si yap mete nou nan zin(zin)
Jalouzi ap fè kankou nou yo se Kayen, en-en, en-en
Vendredi aprèmidi nou prale nan cinema
Aprèsa nou pral danse Konpa
Jacob
Woy, woy woy woy
Depi se Taniz mache, koute loraj la gronde
Kade la paye-a soukwe, koute se chyen ra jape
Depi se Taniz mache, kade latè-a soukwe
Koute loraj la gronde (RETIRE MENW NAN PÒCH MWEN!)
Si yon fanm, andidan, ki trouve nom se dimi frè chyen fè (uh huh)
Si pe jire he pa janmè peche, a lò fèy bwan la kouse - ak kout ròch
Gade nèg kap pran ròch, mezanmi (ròch)
Gade tout nèg kap pran ròch nan bal-lan (ròch)
Tout nèg sa yo ap pran kout ròch(ròch), roy
Original lan, original lan, original la, men orginal lan(kòk la vole manman poul la)
Original lan, original lan, original la, men orginal lan(kòk la vole manman poul la)
Original lan, original la, original, all-star original lan(kòk la vole manman poul la)
Original lan, original la, MACHE
Mwen pavle tèt poul, mwen pavle Kentucky Fried Chicken
Mwen pavle sis piece nuggets, on fam Ayisyen mwen bezwen sou kotem (ankò)
Mwen pavle chinese food, mwen pavle bagay ki hmm
Mwen pavle sis piece nuggets, on fam Ayisyen mwen bezwen sou kotem (tande)
Fam Ayisyen, nou konnen nou se nimero en
Pa okipe nou si yap mete nou nan zin (zin)
Jalouzi ap fè kankou nou yo se Kayen, en-en, en-en
Vendredi aprèmidi nou prale nan cinema
Kisa nou pral gade
Timari, mape vin chachew nan Jaguar
Apresa nou pral mange diri a omar
Li gade mwen, li tonbe ri "haha"
Yon men manyen mwen nan do, Le mwen gade
E te papal' - papal' rale yon zam men mwen men pat kouri
Mwen di, "poukisa papi wap fè jalouzi, se piti fi'w ki fèm fè belle"
Li di, "sesa kadav ou deja ap tan ou nan simityè
The lyrics to Wyclef Jean's song Carnival tell the story of a party or ball where there are people dancing and having a good time. The singers sing about how some people in the ball are feeling themselves, and how they feel like they are on top of the world. They also talk about how some people in the ball are feeling guilty, but they can still throw rocks at others. The song also mentions originality, with the various artists, such as Ti Mano and Sweet Mickey, being acknowledged for their unique and original contributions to the music industry.
The lyrics then transition to talking about the Konpa, which is a genre of music from Haiti that is typically played at parties and carnivals. The singer talks about how if they played Konpa, the party would be even better and feel like a carnival in New York City. The lyrics shift once again to talking about food, with the singer mentioning various foods such as Kentucky Fried Chicken and Chinese food. They express a desire to share these foods with their fellow Haitians and dismiss any envy from others.
Overall, the lyrics of Carnival capture the spirit of a lively and joyful carnival or party, celebrating originality and the joy of music and dancing, and highlighting the value of community and sharing.
Line by Line Meaning
Si gen nèg ki nan bal lan(uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh)
If there are people at this ball who feel like they're the life of the party
ki santi fi an se tèt pou li ye(uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh)
And there are women here who think they're the center of attention
E ou santi ke ou pagen peche, ou mèt kalonnen poul lan ak kout ròch
And if you feel like you're without sin, you can throw rocks at others who are sinning
Kade fi kap pran ròch(kadeeeee ròch), kade fi kap pran kout ròch
Girls are picking up rocks
Original lan, original lan, original la, men orginal lan
The original one, the original one, that's the original one
Original lan, original lan, original, Ti Mano original lan
The original one, the original one, Ti Mano is the original one
Original lan, original lan, original, Refugee orginal lan
The original one, the original one, Refugee is the original one
Original lan, original
The original one, original
Surprise, it's Sweet Mickey y'all
Surprise, it's Sweet Mickey, everyone
Si nou te jwe Konpa, se konsa nou ta mate
If we played Konpa, that's how we'd defeat
Matin, midi, swa New York ta yon kanaval
In the morning, at noon, and in the evening, New York would be a carnival
Si nou te jwe Konpa, si nou te Mate zo, Se konsa li ta sonnen
If we played Konpa, if we mated the notes, that's how it would sound
Lè nou pral fè bal, pagen kote pou nou met moun
When we're going to have a party, there's no place to put people
Ankò
Again
Mwen pavle tèt poul, mwen pavle Kentucky Fried Chicken(oh ho)
I speak chicken head, I speak Kentucky Fried Chicken
Mwen pavle sis piece nugget, on fam Ayisyen mwen bezwen sou kotem(tanpri souple)
I speak six-piece nuggets, a Haitian family I need to ask for help (please be kind)
Mwen pavle bagay ki hmm... mwen pavle chinese food
I speak things like um... I speak Chinese food
Mwen pavle sis piece nugget, on fam Ayisyen mwen bezwen so kotem(tande)
I speak six-piece nuggets, a Haitian family I need to ask for help (listen)
Fam Ayisyen, nou konnen nou se nimero en
Haitian family, we know we are number one
Pa okipe nou si yap mete nou nan zin(zin)
Don't worry if they put us in a low class
Jalouzi ap fè kankou nou yo se Kayen, en-en, en-en
Jealousy treats us like we're empty, uh, uh
Vendredi aprèmidi nou prale nan cinema
On Friday afternoon, we're going to the movies
Aprèsa nou pral danse Konpa
After, we're going to dance Konpa
Jacob
Jacob
Woy, woy woy woy
Oy, oy oy oy
Depi se Taniz mache, koute loraj la gronde
Since Taniz walks, listen to the roar of the storm
Kade la paye-a soukwe, koute se chyen ra jape
The payment for the rocks is shaken up, listen, it's like dogs barking
Depi se Taniz mache, kade latè-a soukwe
Since Taniz walks, the earth trembles with the payment
Koute loraj la gronde (RETIRE MENW NAN PÒCH MWEN!)
Listen to the roar of the storm (TAKE IT OUT OF MY POCKET)
Si yon fanm, andidan, ki trouve nom se dimi frè chyen fè (uh huh)
If a woman, inside, finds that her name is 'dimi frè chyen fè' (uh huh)
Si pe jire he pa janmè peche, a lò fèy bwan la kouse - ak kout ròch
If someone can spin and has never sinned, let them wear the banana leaf - and get hit with rocks
Gade nèg kap pran ròch, mezanmi (ròch)
Look at the people picking up rocks, oh my (rocks)
Gade tout nèg kap pran ròch nan bal-lan (ròch)
Watch everyone who's picking up rocks at this party (rocks)
Tout nèg sa yo ap pran kout ròch(ròch), roy
All these people are going to get hit with rocks (rocks), king
Original lan, original lan, original la, men orginal lan(kòk la vole manman poul la)
The original one, the original one, that's the original one (the rooster stole the mother hen)
Original lan, original lan, original la, men orginal lan(kòk la vole manman poul la)
The original one, the original one, that's the original one (the rooster stole the mother hen)
Original lan, original la, original, all-star original lan(kòk la vole manman poul la)
The original one, original, all-star original (the rooster stole the mother hen)
Original lan, original la, MACHE
The original one, original, WALK
Mwen pavle tèt poul, mwen pavle Kentucky Fried Chicken
I speak chicken head, I speak Kentucky Fried Chicken
Mwen pavle sis piece nuggets, on fam Ayisyen mwen bezwen sou kotem (ankò)
I speak six-piece nuggets, a Haitian family I need to ask for help (again)
Mwen pavle chinese food, mwen pavle bagay ki hmm
I speak Chinese food, I speak things like um...
Mwen pavle sis piece nuggets, on fam Ayisyen mwen bezwen sou kotem (tande)
I speak six-piece nuggets, a Haitian family I need to ask for help (listen)
Fam Ayisyen, nou konnen nou se nimero en
Haitian family, we know we are number one
Pa okipe nou si yap mete nou nan zin (zin)
Don't worry if they put us in a low class
Jalouzi ap fè kankou nou yo se Kayen, en-en, en-en
Jealousy treats us like we're empty, uh, uh
Vendredi aprèmidi nou prale nan cinema
On Friday afternoon, we're going to the movies
Kisa nou pral gade
What are we going to watch
Timari, mape vin chachew nan Jaguar
Timari, I'm coming to get you in the Jaguar
Apresa nou pral mange diri a omar
After, we're going to eat rice with omar
Li gade mwen, li tonbe ri "haha"
He looks at me, he falls down laughing 'haha'
Yon men manyen mwen nan do, Le mwen gade
A hand touches my back, when I look
E te papal' - papal' rale yon zam men mwen men pat kouri
And he faked - faked pulling a gun on me, but I didn't run
Mwen di, "poukisa papi wap fè jalouzi, se piti fi'w ki fèm fè belle"
I say, "why is dad being jealous, it's his little girl who's making me feel good"
Li di, "sesa kadav ou deja ap tan ou nan simityè
He says, "that's what your corpse will be waiting for you in the cemetery
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jerry Duplessis, Machel Montano, Wyclef Jean
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind