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.
Gone Til November
Wyclef Jean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wanna dedicate this song, Gone 'Til November...
To all you ladies out there, crying all alone in your room
And all you fellas, going down south...Not making it back...
May the lord bless your soul, I love you girl
[Wyclef - Chorus]
Every time I make a run
I ask myself, why oh why?
See you must understand
I can't work a nine to five
so I'll be Gone...'Til November
Said I'll be Gone 'Til November
I'll be Gone 'Til November
Yo, tell my girl yo I'll be Gone 'Til November
I'll be Gone 'Til November
I'll be Gone 'Til November
Yo, tell my girl yo I'll be Gone 'Til November
January, February, March, April, May...
I see you crying, but girl I can't stay
I'll be Gone 'Til November
I'll be Gone 'Til November...
And give a kiss to my mother...
[Wyclef - Verse One]
Girl I gotta leave, please don't cry
When I come back, you know the limit's the sky
I'll take you out to dinner, to your favorite spot
Feed you an aphrodisiac just to get you hot
Drive-by movies, by a cemetary
If my corpse could talk then I would tell you I was sorry
Lifestyles of The Rich & Famous,
Some die with a name, some die nameless
[Chorus 1x]
[Wyclef - Verse Two]
We had nothin'
I had to do something
So I'm Knocking On Heaven's Door, like I'm Bob Dylan
Ever comtemplating, the charges I'm facing
My new-born son, I hope I see his graduation
Take him to the movies, by the cemetary
If my corpse could talk then I would tell him, I was sorry
Lifestyles of The Rich & Famous
Some die with a name, some die nameless!
[Chorus 1x]
In Wyclef Jean's "Gone 'til November," he addresses the sacrifices he makes to pursue his passion and how hard it is to maintain relationships because of his busy schedule. The spoken intro is dedicated to all the ladies sitting alone in their rooms and men who are away on their travels, acknowledging the toll it takes on relationships. In the chorus, Wyclef tries to rationalize why he has to tour and leave his girlfriend behind. He wonders why she always cries when he leaves, knowing that he can't work a nine-to-five and must be gone for long periods at a stretch. In the verse, he tries to reassure his girlfriend that he'll return soon, and when he's back, they'll go to her favorite spot and try an aphrodisiac to heat things up. He speaks to the sacrifices he has to make, touring cemeteries, and visiting his infant son, hoping he'll live to see him graduate.
The song is a bittersweet reflection on the sacrifices required to pursue a career in music. Wyclef tries to make sense of why he has to leave his girlfriend behind while also staying true to his passion. The song's title is symbolic of how long he will be gone for, and it's a testament to his desire to return to his loved ones.
Line by Line Meaning
I wanna dedicate this song, Gone 'Til November...
I dedicate this song to all the ladies crying alone and the fellas who may not make it back
Every time I make a run
Whenever I leave for a while
Girl you turn around and cry
You cry when I leave
I ask myself, why oh why?
I wonder why you cry every time I leave
See you must understand
You have to understand
I can't work a nine to five
I can't have a regular job
so I'll be Gone...'Til November
So I'll be gone until November
Said I'll be Gone 'Til November
I said I'll be gone until November
Yo, tell my girl yo I'll be Gone 'Til November
Hey, tell my girl I’ll be gone until November
January, February, March, April, May...
These are the months when I'll be gone
I see you crying, but girl I can't stay
I know you're sad, but I have to go
And give a kiss to my mother...
And give my mother a kiss for me
Girl I gotta leave, please don't cry
I have to leave, please don't cry
When I come back, you know the limit's the sky
When I come back, we can achieve anything
I'll take you out to dinner, to your favorite spot
I'll take you out to eat at your favorite restaurant
Feed you an aphrodisiac just to get you hot
I'll feed you something sexy to turn you on
Drive-by movies, by a cemetary
We'll watch movies as we drive past a cemetery
If my corpse could talk then I would tell you I was sorry
If I were dead, I would apologize to you
Lifestyles of The Rich & Famous,
The lives of the rich and famous
Some die with a name, some die nameless
Some people are remembered when they die, while others are not
We had nothin'
We had nothing
I had to do something
I had to take action
So I'm Knocking On Heaven's Door, like I'm Bob Dylan
I'm trying to reach for success like Bob Dylan's song Knocking on Heaven's Door
Ever comtemplating, the charges I'm facing
I'm always thinking about the problems I'm dealing with
My new-born son, I hope I see his graduation
I hope I live long enough to see my son graduate from school
Take him to the movies, by the cemetary
We'll watch movies as we drive past a cemetery
If my corpse could talk then I would tell him, I was sorry
If I were dead, I would apologize to my son
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: George O'dowd, John Lennon, Jonathan Moss, Michael Craig, Paul Mccartney, Philip Pickett, Roy Hay, Wyclef Jean
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mysteriousmoon5978
This song has taunted me for 23 years (I am 31 now). I first heard it in 1997 when I was 7/8 years old. I was on a school trip to Henley Fort in Guildford. The only lyric which stuck with me was 'WHY OH WHY' and the tune. I've hummed it to people angrily hoping they could tell me what it is. No help. So for 23 years its been in my head but I never found out what it was. Untill today!! 23 years PEOPLE!!
@jamesdavis1201
Happy the torment is over & the joy has begun. Peace.
@Musa_90
I know the feeling. Thats happened with me on a few other songs before
@benreilly5951
Glad you find it. Been there, done that and still looking for other classic tunes.
@Warrior_Resisting_Colonialism
Your mistake was probably trying to get others of your own age to figure out what it was, when you should have targeted people 15-20 years older than you and they could have told you sooner. I'm a metal head but I remember hearing this one on the radio. If you think that's bad, I've been on the lookout for a 70's cartoon since I was little and all I know about it was there was a little boy who found a secrete passageway and he went exploring. Now in my 40's and still can't find that cartoon movie that captivated little 6 or 7 year old me. I know the feeling! It may seem trivial sure but I bet it feels so liberating. Congrats!
@benreilly5951
@@Warrior_Resisting_Colonialism agree with you on this. I had to ask my brother about The Art of Sound. As soon as I hummed the beat to him he knew exactly what the tune was. If I didn't I'd still be humming the song like a clueless fool. Thank God for older brothers and of course elders in general.
@jay_ok
Anyone else just randomly remembered this song?
@ChannelZero1031
"Lifestyles of the rich and famous, some die WITH a name, some die nameless."
FACTS.
@lie2297
I had a weird flash of Dee singing this in my head and had to listen to it
@whatisahandleplz
Same😂