Le grand voyage du pauvre nègre

Fire sun on the Red Sea
Not a wave, nothing moves
On the sea, an old cargo ship
That’s heading to Borneo
And in the hold, a black man cries,
A poor black man, a skinny black man,
A skinny black man whose bones
Seem to want to break through his skin.

Oh yo… Oh yo…
Mr. Good Lord, that ain't nice
I don’t want to leave my land
I want to see the big ship
That spits fire and walks on water
And on the deck, I fell asleep
So the ship just took off
And the captain said like this:
"The black man will work the coal"
Mr. Good Lord, that ain't nice
I don’t want to leave my land.
Oh yo… Oh yo…

Always further around the world
The old cargo ship keeps its round.
The world is big… Always ports…
Always further… More ports…
And in the hold, a black man cries,
A poor black man, a skinny black man,
A skinny black man whose bones
Seem to want to break through his skin.

Oh yo… Oh yo…
Mr. Good Lord, that ain't nice,
Now I’ve lost my land.
My land, so far across the sea
And I work in the bottom of the ship;
Always here like in hell,
Never see the dancing sea again,
Never see the big blue sky,
And poor black man, so unhappy.
Mr. Good Lord, that ain't nice,
I don’t want to leave my land.
Oh yo… Oh yo…

At the end of the sky, on the calm sea,
In the clear night, he sees palm trees,
Then he shouts: "It’s my land!"
And into the sea, he jumped.
And in the wave, a black man sings,
A poor black man, a skinny black man,
A skinny black man whose bones
Seem to want to break through his skin.

Oh yo… Oh yo…
Mr. Good Lord, you’re so kind,
Bring me back to my land.
But come on, Good Lord… Come help me,
I can’t swim forever.
Land too far to reach
And poor black man, so tired.
That’s it… It’s over!... Mr. Good Lord!...
Goodbye land… Goodbye everyone…
Mr. Good Lord, that ain't nice,
I don’t want to leave my land.
Oh yo… Oh yo…