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.
Yel
Wyclef Jean Lyrics
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Si ou gin bouche, pale
Si e pas ca, pays en li va coule
Quand qu'ou yon bateau qui plein refijies
Si nou pas cheche bon djie, encore !
Si ou gin zorey, tande
Si ou gin bouche, pale
Si e pas ca, pays nou libral coule
Izrael cheche bon djie, tande !
Dix milles cercueils, gade toutes c'est ti-mounes
Pe ap crie, mais yo pap resucite
Manman rele, mais cadav, pas ka tande !
Zinglin dou passe, mwen tande (blo ! blo ! blo! blo !)
Si ou gin zorey, tande
Si ou gin bouche, pale
Si e pas ca, pays nou li val coule
Quand qu'ou yon bateau qui plein refijies
Haitiens ! cheche bon djie, encore!
Si ou gin zorey, tande
Si ou gin bouche, pale
Si e pas ca, pays nou libral coule
Quand qu'ou yon bateau qui plein refijies
Izrael cheche bon djie
Mwen con yon haitien
Qui tap vend marijuana
Police te quinbel
Li dit c'est poutet manman te gin cance ( li pas gin l'agent!)
Counya li nan prison, (pou combien temps?)
Lap palem de revolution (sans solutions!)
Mais police yo te passe
Mwen te tande ( blo! blo! blo! blo! )
Si ou gin zorey, tande
Si ou gin bouche, pale
Si e pas ca, pays nou lipral coule
Quand qu'ou yon bateau qui plein refijies
Mysie! suspend tire! encore
Si ou gin zorey, tande
Si ou gin bouche, pale
Si e pas ca, pays nou libral coule
Quand qu'ou yon bateau qui plein refijies
Haitiens cheche bon djie
Depuis mwen petit mwen te con lit genese
Mwen boxe avec satan quand coum boxe ak djialese
Mais gin de le! l'esprit mwen faible
Mwen dit pouki ca politiciens yo fumin zebes?
Tande, map attake nom ou quand cou yon dette, pouki ca?
Pace ou pas con fait bons ?uvres
Mwen con yon politicien yo rele maleb
Male avec ou si ou teste caleb
Loup-garou yo va mange ou cancou yo mange de leb
Rigoise nan bouda ou cancou cheval kap prend fret
Tande, mem nan l'eglise ou prend fret, pouki ca?
Politiciens pas vle tande prete
Yele, yele, yele
Crie, crie, crie
Peuple la yappe mande
Qui l'heu, ca bral change !
Yele, yele, yele
Crie, crie, crie
Peuple la yappe mande
Qui l'heu ca bral change!
Si ou gin zorey, tande
Si ou gin bouche, pale
Si e pas ca, pays nou lipral coule
Quand qu'ou yon bateau qui plein refijies
Si nou pas cheche bon djie, encore
Si ou gin zorey, tande
Si ou gin bouche, pale
Si e pas ca, pays nou libral coule
Quand qu'ou yon bateau qui plein refijies
Izrael, cheche bon djie encore
Yele, yele, yele
Crie, crie, crie
Peuple la yappe mande
Qui l'heu ca bral change !
The lyrics to Wyclef Jean's song Yelé are in Haitian Creole and French, and they talk about the need for people to listen and speak up in order to save Haiti from a perilous situation. The song starts with a call to those who have ears to listen and mouths to speak, to use them to save their country from sinking. The reference to a boat filled with refugees implies the danger that many Haitians face trying to leave the country in search of a better future. The song highlights the struggle of the Haitian people who are constantly faced with poverty, violence, and a government that is not doing enough to help them.
The chorus is a chant for people to call out "Yelé, Yelé, Yelé" which is a call to arms for change. Wyclef Jean appeals to his fellow Haitians to not give up and to continue seeking the help of the divine, even if it seems hopeless. He also references a Haitian man who sold marijuana, was arrested by the police and is now in prison. His story is a representation of the cycle of poverty that many Haitians find themselves in, and it is an indictment of the government's failure to provide opportunities to its people.
Line by Line Meaning
Si ou gin zorey, tande
If you have ears, listen
Si ou gin bouche, pale
If you have a mouth, speak up
Si e pas ca, pays en li va coule
If not, our country will sink
Quand qu'ou yon bateau qui plein refijies
When there's a boat full of refugees
Si nou pas cheche bon djie, encore !
If we don't seek help from God, again
Si ou gin zorey, tande
If you have ears, listen
Si ou gin bouche, pale
If you have a mouth, speak up
Si e pas ca, pays nou libral coule
If not, our struggling country will go under
Izrael cheche bon djie, tande !
Israel seeks help from God, listen!
Dix milles cercueils, gade toutes c'est ti-mounes
Ten thousand coffins, see all these children
Pe ap crie, mais yo pap resucite
People are crying, but they won't come back to life
Manman rele, mais cadav, pas ka tande !
Mother's calling, but the dead can't hear!
Zinglin dou passe, mwen tande (blo ! blo ! blo! blo !)
Gunshots ringing, I hear them (bang! bang! bang! bang!)
Si ou gin zorey, tande
If you have ears, listen
Si ou gin bouche, pale
If you have a mouth, speak up
Si e pas ca, pays nou li val coule
If not, our country will sink
Quand qu'ou yon bateau qui plein refijies
When there's a boat full of refugees
Haitiens ! cheche bon djie, encore!
Haitians! Seek help from God, again!
Si ou gin zorey, tande
If you have ears, listen
Si ou gin bouche, pale
If you have a mouth, speak up
Si e pas ca, pays nou libral coule
If not, our struggling country will go under
Izrael cheche bon djie
Israel seeks help from God
Mwen con yon haitien
I know a Haitian
Qui tap vend marijuana
Who was selling marijuana
Police te quinbel
Police caught him
Li dit c'est poutet manman te gin cance ( li pas gin l'agent!)
He said it's because his mother had cancer (he's not an agent!)
Counya li nan prison, (pou combien temps?)
Now he's in prison, (for how long?)
Lap palem de revolution (sans solutions!)
He talks about revolution (without solutions!)
Mais police yo te passe
But the police shot
Mwen te tande ( blo! blo! blo! blo! )
I heard (bang! bang! bang! bang!)
Si ou gin zorey, tande
If you have ears, listen
Si ou gin bouche, pale
If you have a mouth, speak up
Si e pas ca, pays nou lipral coule
If not, our struggling country will go under
Quand qu'ou yon bateau qui plein refijies
When there's a boat full of refugees
Mysie! suspend tire! encore
Mysie! Stop shooting! Again
Si ou gin zorey, tande
If you have ears, listen
Si ou gin bouche, pale
If you have a mouth, speak up
Si e pas ca, pays nou libral coule
If not, our struggling country will go under
Quand qu'ou yon bateau qui plein refijies
When there's a boat full of refugees
Haitiens cheche bon djie
Haitians seek help from God
Depuis mwen petit mwen te con lit genese
Since I was young I knew the story of Genesis
Mwen boxe avec satan quand coum boxe ak djialese
I fight with Satan like I fight with devils
Mais gin de le! l'esprit mwen faible
But sometimes, my spirit is weak
Mwen dit pouki ca politiciens yo fumin zebes?
I wonder why politicians smoke marijuana?
Tande, map attake nom ou quand cou yon dette, pouki ca?
Listen, I attack your name when there's debt, why?
Pace ou pas con fait bons ?uvres
Whether you do good deeds or not
Mwen con yon politicien yo rele maleb
I know a politician named Maleb
Male avec ou si ou teste caleb
Evil with you if you test Caleb
Loup-garou yo va mange ou cancou yo mange de leb
Werewolves will eat you, and dogs will eat guts
Rigoise nan bouda ou cancou cheval kap prend fret
Itchy in your bum, and horses are getting cold
Tande, mem nan l'eglise ou prend fret, pouki ca?
Listen, even in church, you're getting cold, why?
Politiciens pas vle tande prete
Politicians don't want to listen to advice
Yele, yele, yele
Yell, yell, yell
Crie, crie, crie
Cry, cry, cry
Peuple la yappe mande
The people cry out for
Qui l'heu, ca bral change !
Who will come and make a change!
Yele, yele, yele
Yell, yell, yell
Crie, crie, crie
Cry, cry, cry
Peuple la yappe mande
The people cry out for
Qui l'heu ca bral change!
Who will come and make a change!
Si ou gin zorey, tande
If you have ears, listen
Si ou gin bouche, pale
If you have a mouth, speak up
Si e pas ca, pays nou lipral coule
If not, our struggling country will go under
Quand qu'ou yon bateau qui plein refijies
When there's a boat full of refugees
Si nou pas cheche bon djie, encore
If we don't seek help from God, again
Si ou gin zorey, tande
If you have ears, listen
Si ou gin bouche, pale
If you have a mouth, speak up
Si e pas ca, pays nou libral coule
If not, our struggling country will go under
Quand qu'ou yon bateau qui plein refijies
When there's a boat full of refugees
Izrael, cheche bon djie encore
Israel, seek help from God again
Yele, yele, yele
Yell, yell, yell
Crie, crie, crie
Cry, cry, cry
Peuple la yappe mande
The people cry out for
Qui l'heu ca bral change !
Who will come and make a change!
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind