It was the 80’s, a quiet suburb of Port-au-Prince, where thr… Read Full Bio ↴ZENGLEN
It was the 80’s, a quiet suburb of Port-au-Prince, where three friends who were destined to make history in Haitian music met. Every afternoon, a young Brutus would sit on his front porch and play the guitar. Garry Didier Perez, and his friend Patrick Martineau, often noticed him and one day invited him to come over Patrick’s house. They would meet every afternoon to listen to all genres of music and interpret their favorites. During one of their rehearsals, some beer bottles fell off an amplifier that was vibrating and shattered into a million pieces. The guys laughed at the fact that Patrick would have a hard time cleaning up the many tiny pieces off the granulated floor. They all exclaimed ZENGLEN (which means tiny pieces of broken glass) and from that day on this was their band's name.
In 1989, the trio recorded "Koule Tan" (the color of time). Once completed, they took some tapes to several radio stations where hosts and listeners would become fans and fall in love.
Zenglen became one of the wonders of the early 1990’s as they released the hit song "Fidel" off of the album "An Nou Alèz." In the song the band said that “change” is never easy and always faces obstacles, and resistance, but that they pledge to remain faithful (Fidel) to their mission which is to improve and modernize the Konpa rhythm.
The Konpa world was introduced to their new found stars like the guitarist and singer Brutus Derissaint and the lead singer Gary Didier Perez among others. In the song "Fidel" the band said: "Sé konsa se konsa se konsa la vi ya ye lè ou vle met chanjman reziztans tèt chaje." Unfortunately after a U.S tour most of the band’s members abandoned ship and the band broke up into pieces like a real Zenglen.
In Miami Brutus never stop caressing the dream of keeping some of the pieces alive and had moved on with some attempts like the Zenglen Plus and a few solo albums in the 1990’s. Many musicians tried to help him to collect the pieces, but they often moved with their own projects like the creation of the band D-Zine. Nevertheless Brutus never lost faith and still remained fidèl (Faithful) to his mission by hiring more talented musicians each and every time. At the end of the century the acquisition of the drummer Richard Herard (Richie) and then singer Gracia Delva took Zenglen to the level of a very competitive Konpa band in the demanding market as they released the album "Easy Konpa" with nothing but major hits song that were going to move the band to the front burner of the industry. Ever since that time Zenglen hasn’t looked back despite the so many changes of personnel that occurred.
The album "Easy Konpa" was introduced to the public with the release of the video of the hit song "5 Dwèt" which boosted Zenglen to the top of the konpa scene. The song "B.S Productions" got the attention of the public as the song talk about unqualified show producers damaging the reputation of the bands. On that same album the band touched some subjects until then taboo as they talked about lesbians in the society in the song "Flannè Femèl" and drug used in the song "Ti Poud."
In the following years Zenglen continued to amaze the Konpa fans all over the world with the releases of the albums "Let It Groove," "Do It Right," "5 Etwal." The latest album, "5eme Vites," sung by current lead vocalist Kenny Desmangles, touches subjects on society, relationships with top notch konpa, and proved again why critics have praised them as the Konpa University.
Over the years the Konpa observers have seen broken pieces that continued to break in even more pieces, but the band remains solid and true to their mission: Zenglen doesn’t change…Zenglen improve. Like they often say in their songs “Sé pa changé nou changé, se pi bon’n vin’n pi bon.”
Dark Flower
Zenglen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pa ni anyen yon moun bezwen pou li pa vle peye pou li
Pa gen anyen yon moun renmen pou l pa soufri pou li
Tande sa k rive mwen lòt jou la
M te komanse viv ak yon moun tankou Romeo ak Juliette
Pandan nou sou gran chimen divòs mete nou chita, chita
Ki sans sa fè pou moun marye, ni pou moun al fiyanse
Si n konnen demen n pral separe
Tankou yon flè dizè
Lanmou nou fèmen louvè
Dark flower give me back my heart
Dark flower I want a brand new start
Pa kritike sila ki prefere bay kò yo avan yo bay kè yo
Pa kritike sila k ap fè Pelé,
Monte plizyè teren avan yo pran angajman
Piga w jije sa yo k pa vle pèdi tan
Pa pale yo mal si yo vle evite desepsyon
Ki sans sa fè pou moun marye, oubyen pou fiyanse
Epi demen tout bagay pral chanje
Tankou yon flè dizè
Lanmou nou fèmen louvè
Dark flower give me back my heart
Dark flower I want a brand new start
Tankou yon flè dizè
Lanmou nou fèmen louvè
Dark flower give me back my heart
Dark flower I want a brand new start
Fò w eseye, mezire
Go try over and over
Test drive the car before you buy it
Fò w eseye Eseye mezire
Pinga w okipe sa moun pral di
Se menm bagay nan relasyon gason ak fi
Fò w eseye Se sa k fè fòk ou Mezire
Go try over and over
Test drive the car before you buy it
Fò w eseye Eseye mezire
Chèche konnen si se plezi ou si se lanmou k anvayi
Zenglen lifetime guarantee
Anlè menm bato a
Fò w eseye, mezire
Go try over and over
Test drive the car before you buy it
The song "Dark Flower" by Zenglen talks about wanting a new beginning and not wanting to suffer for the sake of love. The opening lines express the desire for a fresh start, with no baggage from past relationships. The artist advises the listener to not judge those who prioritize material possessions over true connection and love. The chorus compares love to a dark flower and asks for a new start. Towards the end of the song, the artist encourages the listener to try and measure their compatibility with their partner, test driving their emotions like they would a car.
Line by Line Meaning
I want a brand new start
I want to start over with a clean slate
Pa ni anyen yon moun bezwen pou li pa vle peye pou li
No one wants anything for free, even if they say they do
Pa gen anyen yon moun renmen pou l pa soufri pou li
It is impossible to prevent someone you love from suffering
Tande sa k rive mwen lòt jou la
Listen to what happened to me the other day
M te komanse viv ak yon moun tankou Romeo ak Juliette
I started living with someone like Romeo and Juliet
Pandan nou sou gran chimen divòs mete nou chita, chita
While going through a divorce, we sat down and talked it out
Ki sans sa fè pou moun marye, ni pou moun al fiyanse
What's the point of getting married or engaged if it will end in separation?
Si n konnen demen n pral separe
If we know we will separate tomorrow
Tankou yon flè dizè
Like a daisy flower
Lanmou nou fèmen louvè
Our love is in full bloom
Dark flower give me back my heart
I want my heart back from this dark situation
Pa kritike sila ki prefere bay kò yo avan yo bay kè yo
Don't criticize those who prioritize their body over their heart
Pa kritike sila k ap fè Pelé, Monte plizyè teren avan yo pran angajman
Don't criticize those who play the field before committing
Piga w jije sa yo k pa vle pèdi tan
Don't judge those who don't want to waste time
Pa pale yo mal si yo vle evite desepsyon
Don't speak ill of them if they want to avoid disappointment
Epi demen tout bagay pral chanje
And tomorrow everything will change
Fò w eseye, mezire
You must try and measure
Go try over and over
Go try again and again
Test drive the car before you buy it
Test out a relationship before committing
Pinga w okipe sa moun pral di
Don't worry about what others will say
Se menm bagay nan relasyon gason ak fi
It's the same thing in relationships between men and women
Chèche konnen si se plezi ou si se lanmou k anvayi
Find out if it's pleasure or real love
Zenglen lifetime guarantee
Zenglen guarantees for a lifetime
Anlè menm bato a
On the same boat
Fò w eseye Eseye mezire
You must try and measure, try again and again
Test drive the car before you buy it
Test out a relationship before committing
Lyrics © B.E. RELATIONS PUBLISHING, O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: Jean Brutus Derissaint
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind