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.
Mona Lisa
Wyclef Jean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And if your busy, I wouldn't mind taking Saturday
Right about now, if you are in your jeep, please turn up your radio
If you don't have a Jeep, and you have a little hooptie I still want
You to crank up your volume
We want all the ladies to sit back, relax, let your hair out
Wyclef presents the Neville Brothers in the house tonight
I know a girl, she ruled my world
Whatever I need, she supplied
Living in paradise
She ruled my heart, till death do we part
(Her love was like ecstasy)
At least that's how I thought it would be
(So Neville brothers what you telling me)
At least that how I thought it would be
(One question, what was her name)
Mona Lisa, you called my name
Laid it apart but I did not respond
And you ask me what I am thinking of
In the morning I'll be gone, no more loving after dawn
No longer can we share the love that was never there
When the moon has lost its light
And the stars no longer bright
And no longer can we share, the love that was never there
(Ain't no need to cry girl, its gonna be alright)
Girl don't you cry
(Girl don't you cry)
Please dry your eyes
All you ever been was faithful in my life
So I apologize
I hope the future brings us back together
At least that's how I thought it would be
(Yo, Neville brothers, what was her name)
Mona Lisa, you called my name
Laid it apart but I did not respond
And you ask me what I am thinking of
In the morning I'll be gone, no more loving after dawn
No longer we can share the love that was never there
When the moon has lost its light
And the stars no longer bright
No longer can we share, the love that was never there
Right about now if you are in dance
I want you to hold your girl real tight
We got the Neville brothers in the house tonight
Along side Wyclef, you know how we do it
I want to apologize to you
I never wrote a love song
This is my first one
The song "Mona Lisa" by Wyclef Jean is a nostalgic ode to a past love. In the first verse, Wyclef is trying to reconnect with Mona Lisa, asking her out on a date. He then introduces the Neville Brothers, a famous New Orleans R&B group, and asks all the ladies to sit back and relax. The chorus is about Wyclef's ex-girlfriend who he thought ruled his world and supplied all of his needs, but in the end, their love was never really there. He apologizes for hurting her and hopes that they can be together again in the future.
The lyrics paint a picture of a failed love story and the longing for what once was. It is a message to appreciate what you have while you have it, and to be careful not to take love for granted. The song also features a sample of the hit song "Oh What A Night" by The Four Seasons, which adds to the nostalgic and romantic tone.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo Mona Lisa, could I get a date on Friday
Wyclef is asking Mona Lisa out on a date on Friday
And if your busy, I wouldn't mind taking Saturday
If Mona Lisa is busy on Friday, Wyclef is willing to take her out on Saturday instead
Right about now, if you are in your jeep, please turn up your radio
Wyclef is encouraging people riding in their jeeps to turn up their radios to listen to his song
If you don't have a Jeep, and you have a little hooptie I still want You to crank up your volume
Even if someone doesn't have a Jeep, Wyclef still wants them to turn up the volume on their stereo
We want all the ladies to sit back, relax, let your hair out
Wyclef is encouraging all the women listening to his song to relax and let their hair down
Wyclef presents the Neville Brothers in the house tonight
Wyclef is announcing the Neville Brothers as his guests for the night
I know a girl, she ruled my world
Wyclef is talking about a girl who had a big impact on his life
Whatever I need, she supplied Living in paradise
The girl was always there for him and made his life feel like paradise
She ruled my heart, till death do we part (Her love was like ecstasy)
He loved her deeply and believed they would be together forever
At least that's how I thought it would be (So Neville brothers what you telling me)
Wyclef is admitting that his expectations didn't match reality and he's asking the Neville Brothers for advice
One question, what was her name)
Wyclef is asking the Neville Brothers if they know the name of the girl in question
Mona Lisa, you called my name Laid it apart but I did not respond
Wyclef is revealing that the girl he's talking about is Mona Lisa, and he didn't respond to her when she reached out to him
And you ask me what I am thinking of In the morning I'll be gone, no more loving after dawn No longer can we share the love that was never there
Wyclef doesn't have any feelings for Mona Lisa anymore and won't be sharing love with her again
When the moon has lost its light And the stars no longer bright No longer can we share, the love that was never there
Wyclef is saying that their love was never real, so when the excitement is gone, there's nothing left to share
(Ain't no need to cry girl, its gonna be alright) Girl don't you cry
Wyclef is reassuring Mona Lisa that everything will be okay and there's no need to cry
(Girl don't you cry) Please dry your eyes All you ever been was faithful in my life So I apologize I hope the future brings us back together
Wyclef is apologizing to Mona Lisa for not being faithful and hopes that they can reconcile in the future
(Yo, Neville brothers, what was her name) Mona Lisa, you called my name Laid it apart but I did not respond And you ask me what I am thinking of In the morning I'll be gone, no more loving after dawn No longer we can share the love that was never there When the moon has lost its light And the stars no longer bright No longer can we share, the love that was never there
Wyclef is repeating the chorus and reminding the Neville Brothers that he's talking about Mona Lisa
Right about now if you are in dance I want you to hold your girl real tight We got the Neville brothers in the house tonight Along side Wyclef, you know how we do it
Wyclef is encouraging people dancing to hold their partner tightly and announcing that the Neville Brothers are on stage with him
I want to apologize to you I never wrote a love song This is my first one
Wyclef is apologizing to Mona Lisa for not being romantic before and this song is his first attempt at a love song
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ray Evans, Jay Livingston
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind