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.”
Ponponp
Zenglen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Attache vos ceintures, nou demare
Ponponp Ponponp
Men misye ap leve kouri antre
Ponponp Ponponp
TGV a rive yon trèn a gran vitesws
Ponponp Ponponp
Here we go again lyrics music agogo
Zenglen lage pale anpil la komanse
Moun yo sou sa kòman nap travay du compa
Men van men bon jan van
Gmen van Nicolena
Men van men bon jan s
Men van
Devoir de Zenglen a destination du monde entier
Passages attache vos ceinture s′il vous plait
Zenglen w anraje
Lyrics on top check
Music don't stop check
Come on let′s go way
Sa se konpa
Lyrics on top check
Music don't stop check
Come on let's go way
Sa se konpa
Sa se konpa sa se konpa-(sa se konpa)
Vini di yo sa kap jwe laa-(sa se konpa)
Sil bon dil bon bayol san mesure-(sa se konpa)
Nou chita sou do pèp la poutan nap palel mal-(sa se konpa)
Lyrics on top check
Music don′t stop check
Come on let′s go way
Sa se konpa
Lyrics on top check
Music don't stop check
Come on let′s go way
Sa se konpa
Sa se konpa sa se konpa-(sa se konpa)
Vini di yo sa kap jwe laa-(sa se konpa)
Sil bon dil bon bayol san mesure-(sa se konpa)
Nou chita sou do pèp la poutan nap palel mal-(sa se konpa)
Fanatik konpa yo di'n pa sou sa biznis lan bese
(Defann tèt ou pa bèbè)
Ouvè kòw kale kòw siw kwe konpaw se paw
(Defann tèt ou pa bèbè)
Fanatik zenglen yo di′n dekouraje nou demisyone
(Defann tèt ou pa bèbè)
Leve men yo pou yo wè (defann tèt ou pa bèbè)
Leve men yo pou yo wè (defann tèt ou pa bèbè)
Lyrics on top check
Music don't stop check
Come on let′s go way
Sa se konpa
Come on let's go ooo
Lyrics on top check
Music don't stop check
Come on let′s go way
Sa se konpa
Fanatik konpa yo di′n pa sou sa biznis lan bese
(Defann tèt ou pa bèbè)
Ouve kow kale kow siw kwe konpaw se paw
(Defann tèt ou pa bèbè)
Fanatik zenglen yo di'n dekouraje nou demisyone
(Defann tèt ou pa bèbè)
Leve men yo pou yo wè (defann tèt ou pa bèbè)
Leve men yo pou yo wè (defann tèt ou pa bèbè)
The song "Ponponp" by Zenglen is a celebration of Konpa, Haiti's national music genre. The song opens with the chorus, "Ponponp ponponp, attache vos ceintures, nou demare," which translates to "attach your seatbelts, we are starting." The song is a call to action, inviting people to come and dance, using the fast-paced rhythms of Konpa music. The lyrics are filled with references to the energy and power of the genre, such as "TGV a rive, yon tren a gran vitess" (the TGV has arrived, a high-speed train). The lyrics challenge people to keep up with the pace of the music, with lines like "Men misye ap leve kouri antre" (here he comes, running in).
Line by Line Meaning
Ponponp Ponponp
The song starts with the repetition of 'ponponp ponponp', setting the tone for the high-energy track that's about to follow.
Attache vos ceintures, nou demare
This line is a common phrase used on airplanes, asking passengers to fasten their seatbelts as the plane takes off. Here, it's used metaphorically to signal that the song is about to take off and listeners should buckle up.
Men misye ap leve kouri antre
This line means 'here he comes, running in'. It's likely used to describe a particular person, someone who's expected and well-known, running toward the party or event.
TGV a rive yon trèn a gran vitès
This means a TGV has arrived, a high-speed train that can reach up to 300 km/h. This implies that the song is going to be fast-paced and exciting, like the ride on a high-speed train.
This is hit manje a kwit la separe
This line could be interpreted in different ways, but the most likely meaning is 'this is the dish everyone's eating, but some people might not like it'. It could be used as an analogy for the new style of music being introduced in the song, that not everyone might enjoy it.
Zenglen lage pale anpil la komanse
This means 'Zenglen speaks a lot before starting'. This line is likely referring to the lead singer of the band, who is known to make announcements and speeches before launching into a song.
Moun yo sou sa kòman nap travay du compa
This line means 'people are wondering how we're going to make Compas music work'. This could be interpreted as the band challenging themselves to innovate and improve upon the traditional Compas music style.
Men van men bon jan van
This means 'here comes a real good van'. It could be a metaphor for introducing a new element or instrument in the song that's going to sound great and complement the rest of the music.
Gmen van Nicolena, Men van men bon jan s
These lines are likely referencing two individuals or things, Nicolena and another 'good' van. It's not clear who or what they are, but the lyrics suggest they're both worth introducing and noteworthy.
Devoir de Zenglen a destination du monde entier
This line translates to 'Zenglen's duty for the entire world', suggesting that the band's mission is to create music that will be enjoyed and appreciated worldwide.
Passages, attache vos ceinture s'il vous plait
This is a repetition of an earlier line, likely signaling that the high-energy part of the song is about to start again, and reminding listeners to buckle up.
Zenglen w anraje
This line means 'Zenglen is angry', which could be interpreted as the band expressing their frustration with the lack of innovation in the Compas music genre.
Lyrics on top check, Music don't stop check, Come on let's go way, Sa se konpa
This is another repeated phrase that's likely used to amp up the energy and encourage listeners to dance and enjoy the music. It's also a nod to the fact that this is a Compas song, telling listeners that they can expect a distinct and recognizable musical style.
Vini di yo sa kap jwe laa
This line means 'come and see what's happening here', likely inviting people to come to the party or dance and enjoy the music for themselves.
Sil bon dil bon bayol san mesure
This means 'if it feels good, let it be good, without measurement'. It's a call to embrace art and music for what it is, rather than trying to quantify it or compare it to others.
Nou chita sou do pèp la poutan nap palel mal-(sa se konpa)
This line means 'we're resting on the people's back, yet we talk bad about them'. It's a commentary on the fact that some musicians might not have the utmost respect for their fans or the people who support them financially.
Fanatik konpa yo di'n pa sou sa biznis lan bese, Ouvè kòw kale kòw siw kwe konpaw se paw, Fanatik zenglen yo di′n dekouraje nou demisyone, Leve men yo pou yo wè (defann tèt ou pa bèbè)
These lines all refer to fans of Zenglen and Compas music, suggesting that some might be losing faith or passion for the genre. The repeated line 'defann tèt ou pa bèbè' means 'defend yourself, don't be a baby', perhaps signaling that fans should have confidence in their own musical tastes and preferences.
Come on let's go ooo
This is another repeated phrase that encourages listeners to join in the fun and dance to the music.
Contributed by Jasmine C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.