Youssou N'Dour (born 1 October 1959 in Dakar, Senegal) is a singer, percuss… Read Full Bio ↴Youssou N'Dour (born 1 October 1959 in Dakar, Senegal) is a singer, percussionist and occasional actor. N'Dour is one of the most celebrated African musicians in history, his mix of traditional Senegalese mbalax with eclectic influences ranging from Cuban rumba to hip hop, jazz, and soul has won him an international fan base of millions.

N'Dour was born in Medina in Dakar, Senegal, in 1959 and started his music career singing in small clubs in Dakar in the Wolof language, which is predominantly spoken in Senegal and Gambia. He's most popular for his mbalax beat which gave him the title "Roi de Mbalax" (King of Mbalax), and is a household name in Senegal, Gambia and neighbouring countries in West Africa with a long list of hits from the early days in the 70s to date.

In 1979, he formed his own ensemble, the Etoile de Dakar. His early work with Etoile de Dakar was in the typical Latin style popular all over Africa during that time, but in the 1980s he developed a unique sound when he started his current group, Super Etoile de Dakar, featuring Jimi Mbaye on guitar, bassist Habib Faye, and tama (talking drum) player Assane Thiam.

N'Dour was introduced to the Western audience when Peter Gabriel had him appear on his 'So' album (in 1986) and theb took N'Dour and The Super Etoile de Dakar on the road with him in a subsequent world tour. N'Dour has also collaborated with a lengthy list of influential artists including Paul Simon, Neneh Cherry, and Branford Marsalis.

He is endowed with remarkable range and poise, a composer, bandleader, and producer with a prodigious musical intelligence. The New York Times most recently described his voice as an "arresting tenor, a supple weapon deployed with prophetic authority". N'Dour absorbs the entire Senegalese musical spectrum in his work, often filtering this through the lens of genre-defying rock or pop music from outside Senegalese culture.

Youssou N´Dour is currently the new minister of Culture of Senegal as a reward for his campaign against the former president of Senegal Abdoulaye Wade who was defeated by Macky Sall in February 2012.

7 Seconds
Youssou N'Dour Lyrics

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Boul ma sene, boul ma guiss madi re nga fokni mane
Khamouma li neka thi sama souf ak thi guinaw
Beugouma kouma khol oaldine yaw li neka si yaw
Mo ne si man, li ne si mane moye dilene diapale

Roughneck and rudeness
We should be using on the ones who practice wicked charms
For the sword and the stone

Bad to the bone
Battle is not over
Even when it's won
And when a child is born into this world
It has no concept
Of the tone of skin it's living in
It's not a second

We're seven seconds away
Or just as long as I stay
I'll be waiting
It's not a second
We're seven seconds away
Or just as long as I stay
I'll be waiting
I'll be waiting
I'll be waiting

J'assume les raisons qui nous poussent de changer tout
J'aimerais qu'on oublie leur couleur pour qu'ils esperent
Beaucoup de sentiments de race qui font qu'ils desesperent
Je veux les portes grandements ouvertes
Des amis pour parler de leur peine, de leur joie
Pour qu'ils leur filent des infos qui ne divisent pas
Changer

We're seven seconds away
Or just as long as I stay
I'll be waiting
It's not a second
We're seven seconds away
Or just as long as I stay
I'll be waiting
I'll be waiting
I'll be waiting

And when a child is born into this world
It has no concept
Of the tone of skin it's living in
And there's a million voices
And there's a million voices
To tell you what you should be thinking
So you better sober up for just a second

We're seven seconds away
Or just as long as I stay
I'll be waiting
It's not a second
We're seven seconds away
Or just as long as I stay
I'll be waiting
It's not a second
We're seven seconds away
Or just as long as I stay
I'll be waiting

It's not a second
We're seven seconds away
Or just as long as I stay
I'll be waiting
It's not a second
We're seven seconds away
Or just as long as I stay
I'll be waiting

It's not a second
We're seven seconds away

Or just as long as I stay
I'll be waiting

Overall Meaning

"Youssou N'Dour's "7 Seconds" is a beautiful song that speaks to the importance of accepting and embracing diversity. The song's opening lines translate to "I'm writing this song to reach all the people of the world, regardless of their skin color," which sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics. The verses are sung in different languages: Wolof, English, and French. The song was a collaboration between N'Dour and Neneh Cherry, who was popular at the time for her hit song "Buffalo Stance."

At its core, "7 Seconds" is a song about tolerance and understanding. The lyrics touch on the concept of race and how it influences our perceptions and interactions with others. The chorus repeats the phrase "7 seconds away, just as long as I stay, I'll be waiting," which can be interpreted as a message of hope and unity.

The line "And when a child is born into this world, it has no concept of the tone the skin it's living in" is particularly powerful. It speaks to the idea that racism and prejudice are concepts that are learned and taught, rather than innate. The song suggests that changing the way we think about and treat each other begins with seeing beyond our differences and recognizing our shared humanity.

Line by Line Meaning

Boul ma sene, boul ma guiss madi re nga fokni mane
Roughneck and rudeness, we should be using on the ones who practice wicked charms

Khamouma li neka thi sama souf ak thi guinaw
For the sword and the stone, bad to the bone

Beugouma kouma khol oaldine yaw li neka si yaw
Battle is not over, even when it's won

Mo ne si man, li ne si mane moye dilene diapale
And when a child is born into this world, it has no concept of the tone of the skin it's living in

7 seconds away, just as long as I stay, I'll be waiting
No matter how far away you are, I'll always be here waiting for you

J'assume les raisons qui nous poussent de changer tout
I understand the reasons that push us to change everything

J'aimerais qu'on oublie leur couleur pour qu'ils esperent
I wish we could forget their color so they can hope

Beaucoup de sentiments de race qui font qu'ils desesperent
There are too many feelings of race that make them despair

Je veux les portes grandement ouvertes
I want the doors to be wide open

Des amis pour parler de leur peine, de leur joie
Friends to talk about their pain and their joy

Pour qu'ils leur filent des infos qui ne divisent pas
To give them information that doesn't divide

And there's a million voices to tell you what she should be thinking, so you better sober up for just a second
There are countless voices telling you what you should be thinking, so you need to clear your head for a moment

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Cameron Mcvey, Jonathan Sharp, Neneh Cherry, Youssou N'Dour

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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