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Sunday, April 9, 2017

"Pa Gen Moun Pou Ou Bondye" - Help Translate This Haitian Creole Gospel Song To English!

Edited by Azizi Powell

Update: November 21, 2017- a blog visitor's English translation is added

This pancocojams post showcases the Haitian Gospel song "Pa Gen Moun Pou Ou Bondye"

This post includes the lyrics to this song as found online, and an attempted English translation using Google translate, my interpretation of that translation into standard American English and my extrapolations of some of the words that Google translate didn't translate. Additions and corrections would be very much appreciated.

This post is presented for religious, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Clevenson Richmond, the composer of this song. Thanks also to the soloist Rebecca Francois and the other members of the singing group Eprodere. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

Update: November 21, 2017-
Hat tip to chrisschronicles for English translations of the song title and lyrics from Haitian Creole to English.

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SHOWCASE VIDEO: Pa Gen Moun Pou Ou Bondye www MagazineChretien com Haitian Gospel Music Video 2015



Anderson Dorcin. Published on Jul 25, 2015
-snip-
[From this video's sub-title]
Group- Eprodere
Soloist Rebecca J. Francois
Director Benjamin Toussaint
Composition -Maestro Clevenson Richmond
Benji Lakay Production

****
SUB-TITLES FROM THIS VIDEO*

LYRICS - PA GEN MOUN POU OU BONYE*
(composer Maestro Clevenson Richmond)

Ooooo
Hallelujah!
ooooo

Mwen gen
Prueve pou mwen pale
De sa ou fe saw de se verite
Vi mwen demontre’l
pu sa
mwen te ye pou sa ou
fem vin ye

Se ak tout fos
map chante
Poum prouvo
Grande’w kotem
pase e

Oui ou meritel
Emwen egziste pou mwen di
kiles ou ye
Pa gen moun pou
ou
Bonye
Sak dificil pou lom
Facil pou ou
Ominisyans ou fo
Ou plein ak lanmou
telman ou pa limite

Pouki pou’m ret nan on kwen
Pouki pou figuim Fennen
Daye ou pi wo, ou rive pi loin
kot les hommes paka konen

Tout aksyon’w yo
setifye
Pouvwa’w depase sa
lom kreye

Pawol ou Puisan
Fos ou dedouble Missil lom
envante
Ou telman gran bonte’w
elve
ou di sa’w vie ou fe sa’w vie
Pa gen moun pou ou

Pa gen moun pou
ou
Bonye
Sak dificil pou lom [what is difficult for us]
Facil pou ou
Ominisyans ou fo
Ou plein ak lanmou
telman ou pa limite [4x]

Ou di saw vie ou fe saw vie
Pa gen moun pou ou
Bonye
Pa gen moun pou ou

*Except for the introduction ending in "Hallelujah" and the ending instructions given in brackets, these lyrics are from sub-titles given on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfJJ6sZeekw&list=PL8lIrKAQQnrk3tOzdkk-M3rEnrfOE3unf Pa gen moun pou ou Bondye- Rebecca Francois Lyrics, published by Unlimited Plezi Apr 25, 2015

I attempted to copy these lyrics as they were given on that video. However, I may not have correctly indicated which verses are repeated and may have made other mistakes copying these words.

****
UPDATE: November 21, 2017

My sincere thanks to chrisschronicles for this transcription of "Pa Gen Moun Pou Ou Bondye" from Haitian Creole to English. Read Chris' full comment in this post's comment below:

LYRICS: THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR YOU [English translation]
(Composition -Maestro Clevenson Richmond)

I have evidence, so I speak
of what you do and what you say.
It's the truth.

My life evinces it,
because of what I was,
because of what you've made me into.

I'll sing with all my strength
to prove your greatness wherever I go.

Yes, you deserve it
and I exist to declare who you are.

Chorus:
There is no substitute for you, God.
What is difficult for man is easy for you.
Your omniscience is strong.
You are full of love, so much you don't limit.
(or "aren't limited," I'm unsure re. active/passive voice)
(repeat)

Why should I sit in a corner?
Why should my face be downcast
when you are higher,
you reach farther,
where man cannot know?

All your actions attest
that your power surpasses
that which is manmade.

Your word is strong.
Your strength is more than twice
the missile man has invented.

Bridge:
You are so great, your goodness is high up,
You say and do what you want.
There is no substitute for you.


-end of translation by chrisschronicles-

Thanks!

-end of November 21, 2017 update-

Note: I removed Google translates' translation from Haitian Creole to English which made no sense.

Here's my attempted transcription based on that Google translate translation:
NOBODY BUT YOU GOD
(composer Clevenson Richmond)

Ooooo
Hallelujah!
ooooo

I have a testimony to share
Of heaven's angels
My life shows this
I was for You (God)
before I experienced this

Everything else is false
I'm singing (Your praises)
I don't need proof
of how great You are

Yes, You are to be praised
We exist to tell others who You are
There is no other God but You.
What is difficult for others
Is easy for You

Those who reject You are false
You are complete love
You aren't limited

Why do I need to worry
Why does my fatigue end
You are higher than anyone
You reach so high that
people are unable to know where

I am very sure of this
There is nothing beyond
That which You have created

You are Omnipotent
People have invented fake truths
But You are a great God
What You say You do.
There is no God but You.

No God but You, good God.
What is difficult for others
Is easy for You.
Those who reject You are false. [4x]

I have seen heavenly angels.
[There is] No one but You
God
No one but You. [4X]
-snip-
The choir and soloist riff on this ending verse.

-snip-
"I'll change this attempted transcription if I receive (or find online) a transcription from someone who speaks Haitian Creole. Or if I receive corrected words from any of this blog's readers (via comments), I'll add those words to this transcription in italics. Thank you!

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

4 comments:

  1. Hi Azizi,

    I happened to find this post while editing some video footage, which includes some children singing this song, and I'm supposed to add English subtitles. You encountered a few problems: Errors in the video you got the lyrics from, a couple of typos as you copied them down, and Google Translate's bad guessing at homonyms.

    The video you cited is missing punctuation, accented letters and a whole word in the 2nd verse, and some of the words are written as a hybrid of their French and Creole spellings. Haitian Creole spelling and punctuation are not as strictly standardized as English, which is something Google Translate can't really deal with.

    Google is also doing some guessing since Haitian Creole has a lot of homonyms. For example, "fe" (or "fè" since the accents are all missing) could mean "do," "fairy" or "fire." To a human reader, it's obvious in context that "do" is correct; there are no fairies/angels in the song. The Creole contraction "sa'w" which is misspelled "saw" in the video, is not translated and appears to be the English word "saw." So the line "Ou di sa'w vle, ou fe sa'w vle" means "You [God] say what you want, you do what you want," not "I have seen the heavenly angels." Such are the perils of machine translation, until the technology improves. Another recurring error is that Google renders the word "fò" as "false" instead of "strong" because the accent is missing. "Fo" (false) and "fò" (strong) are pronounced differently, so it is clear which is intended. Finally, Google Translate fails to correctly rearrange the words into English order, which causes problems since both English and Creole convey information using word order.

    I'm not a real good Creole speaker myself, but after looking up a few words and texting a friend about one line, this is the English text I'm using for my subtitles.

    I have evidence, so I speak
    of what you do and what you say.
    It's the truth.

    My life evinces it,
    because of what I was,
    because of what you've made me into.

    I'll sing with all my strength
    to prove your greatness wherever I go.

    Yes, you deserve it
    and I exist to declare who you are.

    Chorus:
    There is no substitute for you, God.
    What is difficult for man is easy for you.
    Your omniscience is strong.
    You are full of love, so much you don't limit.
    (or "aren't limited," I'm unsure re. active/passive voice)
    (repeat)

    Why should I sit in a corner?
    Why should my face be downcast
    when you are higher,
    you reach farther,
    where man cannot know?

    All your actions attest
    that your power surpasses
    that which is manmade.

    Your word is strong.
    Your strength is more than twice
    the missile man has invented.

    Bridge:
    You are so great, your goodness is high up,
    You say and do what you want.
    There is no substitute for you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you chrisschronicles for this English translation of this Haitian Creole Gospel song.

      I've added that translation to this post with a hat tip to you.

      What is the English translation for the title?

      Please let me know if the video that you are working on is published on YouTube.

      I appreciate your help as a real English translation for this beautiful Haitian song will help promote it.

      One love!

      Delete
    2. The title is one of the details I'm the most uncertain about. It literally means "there is no one for you," but I think "there is no substitute for you" is the intended meaning, rather than "for you" as opposed to "against you."

      Delete
    3. Pardon me, that's "There is no Substitute for You, God." (Bondye = God)

      Delete