Nagasaki – Bilingual Lyrics French/English

• By: Marou Chenko
• Album: Nagasaki - Single

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the world of contemporary French rap with Marou Chenko's "Nagasaki." This song is a fantastic entry point for language learners, offering a rich tapestry of modern French slang, urban expressions, and cultural references. By engaging with its catchy rhythm and impactful lyrics, you can gain a deeper understanding of everyday French as spoken and expressed in popular music, making language acquisition both relevant and enjoyable.

[English]

Cash, money, stacks, every day

People think I'm crazy

Until I become paranoid

I pull out the iron, everyone runs

I have tools in my backpack

And there are plenty of girls

But I won't give them my all

For likes you show your breasts

You don't even deserve our time

I don't forget those who lent me a hand

When I didn't have much

I am the family's hope

I have to succeed, it's do or die

Focused on one goal

No one makes me stray

Lost between good, evil,

Right now I'm just zigzagging

AC Milan like Inzaghi

Sharingan mode Izanagi

Ninja motorbike Kawasaki

I ride around in Nagasaki

AC Milan like Inzaghi

Sharingan mode Izanagi

Ninja motorbike Kawasaki

I ride around in Nagasaki

There aren't many real friends

I'm very well surrounded, thank God

I don't like girls who mess around

Even less those with tattoos

She tells me she's a virgin, but I've known her for a long time

She tells me she's a virgin, but I've known her for a long time

She's been around so much

It makes me feel bad for her parents

She acts like a saint here

She's not a nice girl

To see that she's a witch

You don't need to be a scientist

I've had plenty of knives in my back

Because fake friends want what's mine

We were young, we were many

Look now there's no one left

You're jealous of your brother, you're crazy

Encourage him, lift him up

I lecture you, you play deaf

The networks have brainwashed you

And social media isn't real life

But you're lost

I don't want to stay with you anymore

You're full of attitudes

If I get up, bro, it's to make

Cash, money, stacks, every day

I get up to make

Cash, money, stacks, every day

AC Milan like Inzaghi

Sharingan mode Izanagi

Ninja motorbike Kawasaki

I ride around in Nagasaki

AC Milan like Inzaghi

Sharingan mode Izanagi

Ninja motorbike Kawasaki

I ride around in Nagasaki

If I get up, bro, it's to make

Cash, money, stacks, every day

Cash, money, stacks, every day

Cash, money, stacks, every day

Cash, money, stacks, every day

Cash, money, stacks, every day

[French]

Cash, monnaie, biff, tous les jours

Les gens me prennent pour un fou

Jusqu'à j'en devienne parano

J'sors le fer, tout le monde qui court

J'ai des outils dans le sac à dos

Et des gadjis y'en a plein

Mais j'vais pas leur donner ma han

Pour des likes tu montres tes seins

Tu mérites même pas qu'on te han

J'oublie pas ceux qui m'ont tendu la main

Quand j'avais pas beaucoup

Je suis l'espoir de la famille

Je me dois de réussir la corde au cou

Concentré sur un objectif

Y'a personne qui m'fait divaguer

Perdu entre le bien, le mal,

En c'moment j'fais que d'zigzaguer

Milan AC comme Inzaghi

Sharingan mode Izanagi

Moto ninja Kawasaki

J'me balade dans Nagasaki

Milan AC comme Inzaghi

Sharingan mode Izanagi

Moto ninja Kawasaki

J'me balade dans Nagasaki

Des vrais amis y'en a pas beaucoup

J'suis très bien entouré hamdou

J'aime pas les meufs qui touchent à tout

Encore moins celles qu'ont des tatoos

Elle m'dit qu'elle est ge-vier, mais moi j'la connais depuis longtemps

Elle m'dit qu'elle est ge-vier, mais moi j'la connais depuis longtemps

Elle a tellement né-tour

Ça me fait de la peine pour ses parents

Elle fait la sainte ici

C'est pas une gentille fille

Pour voir qu'c'est une sorcière

Y'a pas besoin d'être scientifique

Des couteaux dans l'dos j'en ai plein

Car des faux amis veulent mon pain

On était p'tits, on était pleins

Regarde maintenant y'a plus dégun

Toi tu jalouses ton frère, t'es fou

Encourage le, monte le en haut

J'te fais la morale, tu fais le sourd

Ça t'as matrixé les réseaux

Et les réseaux c'est pas la vraie vie

Mais toi t'es du-per

Rester avec vous, j'ai plus envie

Vous êtes plein d'manières

Si j'me lève gros c'est pour faire

Cash, monnaie, biff, tous les jours

J'me lève pour faire du

Cash, monnaie, biff, tous les jours

Milan AC comme Inzaghi

Sharingan mode Izanagi

Moto ninja Kawasaki

J'me balade dans Nagasaki

Milan AC comme Inzaghi

Sharingan mode Izanagi

Moto ninja Kawasaki

J'me balade dans Nagasaki

Si j'me lève gros c'est pour faire

Cash, monnaie, biff, tous les jours

Cash, monnaie, biff, tous les jours

Cash, monnaie, biff, tous les jours

Cash, monnaie, biff, tous les jours

Cash, monnaie, biff, tous les jours

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
monnaie /mɔnɛ/ A1	noun - currency; change (money)
fou /fu/ B1	adjective - crazy, mad noun - a crazy person, lunatic
fer /fɛʁ/ A1	noun - iron (the metal) noun - gun (slang)
outil /uti/ B1	noun - tool
gadjis /ɡadʒis/ C1	noun - young women/girls (slang, from Romani 'gadji' for non-Romani woman)
sein /sɛ̃/ B2	noun - breast
espoir /ɛspwaʁ/ B1	noun - hope
réussir /ʀeysiʁ/ B1	verb - to succeed, to achieve
divaguer /divaɡe/ C1	verb - to wander, to ramble (mentally or verbally)
bien /bjɛ̃/ B1	noun - good (as a concept), welfare
mal /mal/ B1	noun - evil (as a concept), harm, pain
zigzaguer /ziɡzaɡe/ C1	verb - to zigzag, to move in a meandering way
Nagasaki /naɡazaki/ A1	proper noun - Nagasaki (city in Japan)
sorcière /sɔʁsjɛʁ/ B1	noun - witch
couteau /kuto/ A2	noun - knife
pain /pɛ̃/ A1	noun - bread noun - livelihood, money, means of living (slang, literally 'bread')
jalouser /ʒaluze/ B2	verb - to be jealous of, to envy
réseau /ʀezo/ B1	noun - network (general) noun - social network (e.g., Facebook, Instagram)
perdu /pɛʁdy/ A2	adjective - lost (physically) adjective - lost (figuratively), confused, wasted
morale /mɔʁal/ B1	noun - moral (lesson), ethics

Key Grammar Structures

• Jusqu'à j'en devienne parano

  ➔ Subjunctive after 'jusqu'à' (temporal conjunction), pronoun 'en'.

  ➔ The full, formal construction would be 'jusqu'à ce que j'en devienne parano'. In informal spoken French, "ce que" is often omitted after "jusqu'à", directly followed by the subject and verb in the **subjunctive** mood, especially when expressing a limit or consequence up to a certain point. The pronoun "en" replaces 'de cela' or refers to a previously mentioned quantity/concept. Here, it refers to the situation making him paranoid.

• Et des gadjis y'en a plein

  ➔ Impersonal expression 'il y a' (informal 'y'a') + pronoun 'en' + adverb of quantity 'plein'.

  ➔ This is a very common informal construction. "Y'en a plein" (short for 'il y en a plein') means "there are many/a lot of them". The pronoun "en" replaces 'des gadjis' (of girls) which are introduced previously, avoiding repetition. "Plein" is an informal substitute for 'beaucoup'.

• Tu mérites même pas qu'on te han

  ➔ Subjunctive after 'mériter que' + indefinite pronoun 'on' + indirect object pronoun 'te'.

  ➔ Verbs expressing judgment, necessity, emotion, or will often trigger the **subjunctive** in the subordinate clause introduced by "que". Here, "mériter que" (to deserve that) requires the subjunctive mood for "han" (a verb, likely slang/verlan for 'avoir' or 'hisser', contextually implying 'attention' or 'respect'). The indefinite pronoun "on" means "one" or "people in general". "Te" is the indirect object pronoun.

• Je me dois de réussir la corde au cou

  ➔ Pronominal verb 'se devoir de' + infinitive (obligation) + idiomatic expression 'la corde au cou'.

  ➔ "Se devoir de" + **infinitive** expresses a strong personal obligation or duty. It's more emphatic than 'devoir'. "La corde au cou" is an idiom meaning "with a rope around one's neck," signifying a desperate or critical situation where failure is not an option, emphasizing extreme pressure or urgency.

• En c'moment j'fais que d'zigzaguer

  ➔ Restrictive expression 'ne faire que de' + infinitive.

  ➔ The construction "ne faire que de" + **infinitive** (or 'ne faire que' + infinitive in more formal contexts, with "de" often present informally) emphasizes that the subject is *only* doing that action, or *constantly* doing it, to the exclusion of other things. It indicates restriction or continuous action. "En c'moment" means "at the moment."

• J'suis très bien entouré hamdou

  ➔ Passive voice (past participle as adjective) + informal contraction 'j'suis' + Arabic interjection 'hamdou'.

  ➔ "Entouré" is the past participle of 'entourer' used here as an **adjective** following "être", forming a state that implies a passive action ("being surrounded"). "J'suis" is a common informal contraction of 'je suis'. "Hamdou" is short for 'Alhamdulillah', an Arabic phrase meaning "Praise be to God," often used to express gratitude or satisfaction, common in French rap due to North African influences.

• Elle a tellement né-tour

  ➔ Adverb of intensity 'tellement' + Verlan (slang).

  ➔ "Tellement" means "so much" or "to such an extent," intensifying the verb or adjective. "Né-tour" is an example of **verlan**, a French argot (slang) that involves inverting syllables of words. "Né-tour" comes from 'retourné' (turned around/been around). This implies she has "been around" a lot (in terms of relationships/experiences), often with a negative connotation.

• J'te fais la morale, tu fais le sourd

  ➔ Informal personal pronoun 'te' + idioms with 'faire' ('faire la morale', 'faire le sourd').

  ➔ "J'te" is an informal contraction of 'je te'. This line features two common French **idioms** using the verb "faire": "faire la morale" (to lecture someone, to give someone a sermon about what is right or wrong) and "faire le sourd" (to pretend not to hear, to ignore something intentionally).

• Regarde maintenant y'a plus dégun

  ➔ Informal 'y'a' (for 'il y a') + negation 'ne...plus' + regional slang 'dégun'.

  ➔ "Y'a" is the common informal contraction of 'il y a' (there is/are). "Plus" combined with the implied "ne" (which is often dropped in informal spoken French, especially before "plus") means "no longer" or "no more". "Dégun" is a slang term, primarily from the south of France (Marseille region), meaning "no one" or "nobody". This phrase means "there's no one left".

• Ça t'as matrixé les réseaux

  ➔ Informal contraction 't'as' (for 'tu as') + neologism verb 'matrixer'.

  ➔ "T'as" is an informal contraction of 'tu as' (you have). "Matrixer" is a relatively recent informal verb derived from the movie "The Matrix". It means to brainwash, to profoundly influence, to create a false perception of reality, or to make someone addicted/obsessed, especially in the context of social media ("les réseaux").