Overview and Meaning
Roi Manitou is the 18th song release in Control, Fally Ipupa‘s 5th solo album. It is a libanga song, meaning a song requested for a particular person. Usually, people would pay a Congolese musician to be featured in their songs. That being said, there is no evidence somebody paid Fally to write this sublime title. The main protagonist is referred to by Ludovic Byart and Roi Manitou. Roi Manitou is a winery based in South Africa, and Ludovic Byart is one of their wine brands. At the beginning of the song, Fally introduces Ludovic as the sole Congolese winemaker. I could not check this (or just did not even try to) so I should probably not comment it any further.
This is a typical rumba song with all due simplicity. There’s the recognizable intro, and first part and a dancing second part which holds the meat of the song. The entire song is of course cradled by a beautiful guitar melody. The lyrics are of a person in love with Ludovic. The latter seems to have lost appetite for the relationship and seems absent or gone but definitely indifferent to her. That’s probably queen Manitou singing to King Manitou. In the song, she begs for attention and cries over her misery. Classic, right? Well, I noticed simplicity make some of the best songs. Roi Manitou is very popular, especially among Fally fans.
Roi Manitou Lyrics
I came across two slightly different versions of the song. The video clip version holds more sentences than the audio-only one. I therefore based the translation on the video version.
——-
Roi Manitu [Lud… le seul vigneron congolais]; Effervessance plus plus,
Roi Manitou lui c’est la definition de l’effervessence.
Yo Oleki bango [Patrick … …le banquier]
King Manitu [Lud…].
King Manitou is the definition of effervescence.
You are worth more than them! [Mabangas]
Manitou photo souvenir ata é nzuluki.
Le Roi ba buakaka té. Ba buakaka té!
Manitou, one should not throw away a discolored photo souvenir.
You just don’t throw it!
Et pourtant façon nazo lela,
le Roi yo ozo yoka yo ozo kipé té! [Ludovic…]
But you hear me crying hard and you just do not care!
Le Roi Manitou eh, yak’o tala ngai eh!
Omona ndenge misuni na mukuwa ezo sila ngai.
King Manitou come to take a look at me!
See how I am losing weight!
Mopepe ya Caïna eleka, Yahweh eh!
Oh lord, may this bad luck go away!
Le Roi Manitou, yak’o tala ngai;
na ndimi té que yo oko ndima ko mona ngai.
Come take a look at me;
I am not sure you will believe it!
Manitou na placard na ngai, bilamba nazo lata ezo tika ngai eh! [Ludovic …]
Manitou, none of my wardrobe clothes fit me anymore! [ … ]
Souci etongeli bonheur lilita,
Sans qu’étuna avis déterminatif ya liwa.
My worries dug my grave and buried all my happiness
without agreeing with my dying hour.
[Clari …. Ludovic B…]
[Clari… Ludovic B…]
Yak’o tala ngai, Na ndimi té que yo oko ndima ko mona ngai…
Le Roi Manitou eh.
Come take a look at me, I am unsure you will sustain it…
King Manitou.
Epa…!
Epasuka (“Let it Burst!” – one of Fally’s many catch-phrases)
[Ludov… Je Salue … La reine Manitou…
Il n’ya pas de roi sans reine… .. Pay..]
[Ludov… Greetings to … Queen Manitou…
There’s no King without a queen… .. Pay..]
Eh mamé eh,
soki mayi ya misu ezali liziba ya Bethesda eh, na amour,
Po’ nini, lisuma ya bolingo etingami na nzoto eh le Roi?
Oh gosh!
If teardrops hold healing powers in love,
Why is this love curse still stuck on me, dear king?
Eh mamé eh,
soki mayi ya misu ezali liziba ya Bethesda eh, na amour,
Po’ nini, lisuma ya bolingo etingami na nzoto eh le Roi?
Oh gosh!
If teardrops hold healing powers in love,
Why is this love curse still stuck on me, dear king?
S.O.S ya bolimo au lieu é sauvé nga,
Na place ya ambulance, Na tindi corbillard.
My love S.O.S killed me instead of saving me;
sent me a hearse, not an ambulance.
Na morgue ya bolingo n’o,
o’injecté nga poison na place ya formol, ebembé na ngai epoli.
Then at the mortuary,
you poisoned my remains which got spoiled.
Nuit mortuaire ya love na ngai eh,
Au lieu ba mela café, ba meli whisky,
Ba bakisi champagne.
And people drunk whiskeys and added champagnes during my mourning night,
instead of the traditional coffee!
Ah, kuna na cimetière ebembé na nga endommagé,
Nécropole é s’écrouler, suka na tragédie!
At the churchyard, my poor spoiled body became a pure tragedy!
Eh mamé eh, bébé na ngai eh,
Oh gosh, oh, honey!
Manitou ya motema ah, privilege mon coeur epesa yo ga endima kobomba bolingo n’o!
My love my heart, it is a privilege my heart gave you to host your love!
Pourquoi mbeli ya deception Bolingo n’o ekati mon cœur?
Why did the deception’s knife cut my heart?
Eh mamé eh,
soki mayi ya misu ezali liziba ya Bethesda eh, na amour,
Po’ nini, lisuma ya bolingo etingami na nzoto eh le Roi?”
Oh gosh!
If teardrops hold healing powers in love,
Why is this love curse still stuck on me, dear king?
[mabanga…]
[mabanga]
Catastrophe alarme ya cocorico eleli, moto alamuki té!
This is a catastrophe as if none one would wake up in a morning!
Moyi ebimi kasi ndoki azali ko pimbwa,
mokili ekamué té!
Like people finding it normal as an occult scene
is happening in public under daylight!
Est-ce que loi épermeta ko boma moto na bolingo?
Nga na komi victime d’amour!
Is it lawful to kill someone using love?
I am the love victim here!
Eh mamé eh, déjà na kota lilita mais motema eza kobeta.
Oh gosh! I already got to my grave but this heart’s still beating.
Est-ce que bolingo na nga opesi moto mosusu eh, le roi na ngai?
My King, did you give my love to someone else?
Lifelo ata ebongwani paradis, chérie,
Eza lokola Satan abongoli motema,
Manitou, moto ako ndima té oh.
A hell that is disguised (turned) into a paradise,
is just like I cannot trust a devil that says it changed sides.
No one would believe it.
Eza lokola Satan abongoli motema,
Manitou, moto ako ndima té oh.
is just like I cannot trust a devil that says it changed sides.
No one would believe it.
Priorité ya motema na nga eza yo le Roi Manitou
You are my heart’s priority King Manitou.
Pourquoi visa ya lilita Manitou opesi bébé na yo?
Why did you give your honey a graveyard visa?
Eh mamé eh,
soki mayi ya misu ezali liziba ya Bethesda eh, na amour,
Po’ nini, lisuma ya bolingo etingami na nzoto eh le Roi?”
Oh gosh!
If teardrops hold healing powers in love,
Why is this love curse still stuck on me, dear king?
Eh mamé eh, bébé na ngai eh
Oh gosh, oh, honey!
Kombo na ngai eh, Est-ce que otiaki yango na liste ya ba sexfriends?
Was my name just part of your sex-friend list?
Et pourtant ya yo na tia na motema
I kept yours into my heart though!
Catastrophe alarme ya cocorico eleli, Moto alamuki té.
This is a catastrophe,
like seeing no single person wakes up in a morning!
Moyi ebimi kasi ndoki azali ko pumbwa,
Mokili ekamué té!
Like no one being astonished that an occult scene
happens in public under daylight!
Est-ce que loi épermeta ko boma moto na bolingo?
Nga na bimi nde victime d’amour!
Is it lawful to kill someone using love?
I am the love victim here!
Chérie na ngai eh, bébé na ngai eh… Roi Manitou, [Ludovic … ]
Ho honey, oh baby! King Manitou [L… ]
Bébé na ngai eh, chérie na ngai eh! Bébé ya motema eh, chérie na ngai eh!
Ho honey, oh baby! Ho, my heart! Oh, my honey!
[Christelle … Bachelord]
[Christelle … Bachelord]
Eh mamé eh,
soki mayi ya misu ezali liziba ya Bethesda eh, na amour,
Po’ nini, lisuma ya bolingo etingami na nzoto eh le Roi?
Oh gosh!
If teardrops hold healing powers in love,
Why is this love curse still stuck on me, dear king?
Eh mamé eh,
soki mayi ya misu ezali liziba ya Bethesda eh, na amour,
Po’ nini, lisuma ya bolingo etingami na nzoto eh le Roi?
Oh gosh!
If teardrops hold healing powers in love,
Why is this love curse still stuck on me, dear king?
[Long list of mabanga …]
[An insanely long list of mabangas … ]
Eh mamé eh,
soki mayi ya misu ezali liziba ya Bethesda eh, na amour,
Po’ nini, lisuma ya bolingo etingami na nzoto eh le Roi?
Oh gosh!
If teardrops hold healing powers in love,
Why is this love curse still stuck on me, dear king?
Eh mamé eh,
soki mayi ya misu ezali liziba ya Bethesda eh, na amour,
Po’ nini, lisuma ya bolingo etingami na nzoto eh le Roi?
Oh gosh!
If teardrops hold healing powers in love,
Why is this love curse still stuck on me, dear king?
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