Sombres Manœuvres / Manouvres Sombres [English translation]

[Verse 1 - Akhenaton]

In the photo, you see 5 bros who were in the same class for 15 years, came from the same neighbourhood

They were my Lego and cubes crew

Long before our hash and money worries

At 16 we no longer wanted to perform on stage

We immersed our hands into weapons, carbon and cards

We handled 2 spots*, we finished with 1000

Our soldiers locked down a part of the city

Here I am sitting in the passenger seat

We're going to see 2 guys who want to meet us

I light up a cigarette, turn to Shams

Bro why did you take this shitty car?

He replies: Discretion isn't your strong point, I smile

Looking out the window at 2 women running

After that, we drive for a about quarter of an hour

We talk, we laugh, we take the piss, we yell about our phony plans

We mention them with our eyes full of tears

We have a ball, our faces in our hands

You're crazy, I pull a tissue out of my pocket

Why are we going right, I thought we turned left?

[Chorus] X2

I believed their lies, their tantalising promises

The world is small, but family is big

It's only the devil who gazes upon his work

Neither witness nor proof, shady tactics

[Couplet 2 - Akhenaton]

The car goes down a path of undergrowth

And stops in a clearing, but what the hell are we doing there?

Shams looks at me, suddenly he takes out his gun

He tells me: You know what happens to those who sell their soul, It blows me away that you often chatted about the blues

That you help yourself to our money when you can

That you have your finger in every pie

Your name pops up too much from my girl's mouth

The others don't say anything, he points his gun

At my face, and bang, he shoots me in the jaw

The window shatters, my head hanging outside

He opens the door and throws me out with a kick on my shoulder. Disfigured, I'm bleeding out, they take off

They burn the car on empty land 2 kilometres away

Wounded in the stomach, I sense I'm coming to the end

When this woman who was walking her dog came along.

On my hospital bed I dwell on it all

Of all their accusations, none were true, it's crazy

How can my childhood friends believe the gossip

Fuck the trust, this lifestyle makes us paranoid

I didn't have it in me, the instinct for crime

I believe that all this mess was from following them

I think about my father who's departed this life

And who told me so many times when I was little

[Spoken]

That is the testimony of your friend, or your ex-friend, as you prefer!

In any case, we already have enough evidence to charge you

But I must confess though, that I'm interested to know your version of events...

[Verse 3 - Shurik’n]

In the photo, you see 5 bros who were in the same class for 15 years, came from the same neighbourhood

They were my Lego and cubes crew

Long before our hash and money worries

Life brought us together at school

A team was formed, where each one had his role

Very early, we understood that the union made strength

Guns did the rest and us, we became the Bosses

United like the fingers of a hand, we laid down the laws

Ruthless, our business got heavier

No dark clouds, no cops on the horizon

Day after day, we grew bigger along with the network

We saw each other at least one a day at my house

Like the powerful, we did everyting in discretion

We discussed business around a bottle of bourbon

Clara and Frédo got into a big discussion

Anyway, besides him and his car, we kept a low profile

The IRS~ could show up and we didn't want that

I tried talking to him but he never listened

And outside, gossip started

[Chorus] X2

I believed his lies, his tantalising promises

The world is small, but family is big

Some people dig their own graves

The guillotine falls, shady business

[Verse 3 - Shurik’n]

Less and less discreet, Frédo became dangerous

He liked the watches and cars and he blew the game

Out clubbing just about every night, he flaunted the cash

And too many questions started to be asked in the neighbourhood

Sometimes when I got home, he was already there

Clara and him got on well, I liked that less and less

From that point on, I had suspicions

The atmosphere became a lot tenser during meetings

I started seeing the others without telling him

I talked to them about weird stuff that we heard him say

I could no longer sleep, I think deep down I expected the worse

Although I never believed that one day, one of us would betray

It was getting too hot, we needed to make a decision

I spoke to the others, they agreed with me

That's how we came to the conclusion

That we would have to get rid of that little prick

We invented the story about the 2 guys

I called Frédo, I spoke to him about the appointment

We went to his place in the evening in the stolen car

And I think you already know the end of the story