They don't know
They don't know (they don't know)
Everything we had to do and what we endured
No, they don't know (they don't know)
How could they lead us?
They don't know (they don't know)
Everything we had to do and what we sacrificed
No, they don't know (they don't know)
But they allow themselves to judge us (they really don't know)
They don't know

We don't stress ourselves out, it's already done for us
They probe us, analyze us like lab rats
They think they understand but they live too high up
As if a bird could feel like a fish in water

Raised on meals made of leftovers, banana bread sandwiches
Barely the 15th of the month, the fridge is already stressed
Sometimes on vacation, often no money
Sometimes we work, but often there's no more

Of course, we sulk, we even dance at Christmas
We never miss a chance to remind ourselves that life is beautiful
And yet we see our mothers sweating for a full cart
Wearing out their backs every day for shelter and bread

So many falls and false starts, up early, to bed late
A tough job to manage, the bailiff always on the prowl
In the end, some smile and others drown
That's what happens when you take in more than you can handle

And despite everything, we laugh, much more than we say
We appreciate every second, they are priceless
Let them mind what we live
Instead of who we pray to, then we'll stop saying, yeah

They don't know (they don't know)
Everything we had to do and what we endured
No, they don't know (they don't know)
How could they lead us?
They don't know (they don't know)
Everything we had to do and what we sacrificed
No, they don't know (they don't know)
But they allow themselves to judge us (they really don't know)
They don't know

How many years living side by side
Running in the hall, we pass each other without saying hello
Pointing out each other's flaws, all that masks the good
We regret a time, and we vomit on the world

No madam, I don't have a blade ready to slash
In my pockets, I'm just wandering
Walking the sidewalks of our cities, recounting our adventures
They never knew the impact of our little stories

The general public is us, they didn't see it coming
The street creates, sexier, the street pulls
Labeled urban music, marked like cattle
Locked in an enclosure

No, they don't know that their music is washed up
The wake-up will be hard, we had to pinch them
We spent 15 years being insulted on France 2
France 3 told the story of a France torn in two

I took the road on France 5, the world is so beautiful
Hip-Hop is on top, it's broadcast at half past midnight on France Ô
Ignorance maybe or just a taste for crap
Who knows? But it's indeed the music of the French from beyond crap

On our knees for a grant
When for classical they make places at 100 grand
We carry the banner of this illiterate culture
Which sooner or later will kick them all out in the alpha jet

They don't know
Everything we had to do and what we endured
No, they don't know (they don't know)
How could they lead us?
They don't know (they don't know)
Everything we had to do and what we sacrificed
No, they don't know (they don't know)
But they allow themselves to judge us (they really don't know)
They don't know

They don't know (they don't know)
They don't know (they don't know)
They don't really know us (they don't really know)
They don't know (they don't know)
Everything we had to do and what we sacrificed
No, they don't know, no, no, no
How could they lead us?
They don't really know

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