IAM - Petit Frère (English Translation)
IAM - Petit Frère (English Translation) Lyrics
"Life as a shorty shouldn't be so rough"
[Verse 1: Akhenaton]
Little brother’s only wish was to be a grown up
That’s why he’s been acting tough since he was 10
Becoming an adult with the news as his mentor
Means beating the shit out of those who disagree
Back when big brother was a kid
We could geek out over Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
But now the dwarves have done away with Snow White
And now they beat up people in Mortal Kombat
At 13, he already has a lust for money
But his pockets are empty so he acts gangsta
At slumber parties and now ragers, no more Teisseire syrup
Little brother wants beer
I don’t think it was intentional, but adults certainly
If indirectly showed him that being bad is good
Tomorrow his notebooks will be all crossed out
Little brother smokes spliffs and breaks car windows
[Chorus: Shurik'N & (Akhenaton)]
Little brother has left the playground
(He can barely walk but wants seven-league boots)
Little brother wants to grow up too fast
But he forgot that running is useless, little brother
"Life as a shorty shouldn't be so rough"
[Verse 2: Shurik'N]
Little brother dreams of cars, clothes and money
Street cred, for all of that he'd steal the moon
He racks up a rap sheet without a care
For the harm he's done, all while asking for respect
It doesn't matter to him what tomorrow will bring
To give some people reasons to despise their younger peer
The cathode ray tube in his head
Has blocked out the vibrations of the African drums
No more schoolbag, he wouldn't know what to do with it
He doesn’t play with marbles anymore, he wants to play with revolvers
Little brother threw away his toy soldiers to become a warrior
And focus on the loot he's gonna hoard
[Chorus: Shurik'N & (Akhenaton)]
(Little brother has left the playground)
He can barely walk but wants seven-league boots
Little brother wants to grow up too fast
But he forgot that running is useless, little brother
[Post-Chorus: Inspectah Deck sample]
"Life as a shorty shouldn't be so rough"
"Times have changed. Tomorrow will be better. You'll see."
[Verse 3: Akhenaton]
The reporters start the trends, school violence already existed
In my day, it was rackets, fights, vandalism
Shattering our teachers' windshields with bats
Chaos with boxcutters
But covering it on the news every evening makes it ordinary
It's imprinted in the retina like a normal situation
And if little brother wants attention
He just has to imitate what he saw before 8:30
Shit, in the '80s, it was the statement of facts but now
These reporters make facts out of statements
And I don't think little brother was worse before
Just overexposed to the advertisements of violence
For the grown ups, kids were the best lemons
The number 1 target market for consumer products
And to secure a part of it for himself
Little brother secured himself with a gun on his belt
[Verse 4: Shurik'N]
They know who you are when they see what you have
Little brother knows and keeps that fact in mind
Money opened the doors to a blue sky
As easy as his screwdrivers opened those of cars
Grandstanding is all he wants
It feels even better when you're wearing Giorgio Armani
Worried about other people's perception of him
Despite his young age, little brother smokes to look more grown up
He wanted to take the highway to riches
But didn't realize he could lose his feathers
He just barely got out of his egg
And already, little brother wants to be bigger than an ox
(Little brother has left the playground)
He can barely walk but wants seven-league boots
Little brother wants to grow up too fast
But he forgot that running is useless, little brother
[Post-Chorus: Inspectah Deck sample]
"Life as a shorty shouldn't be so rough"
About
Little Brother
Years of intense debate on violence and its impact on the youth at 6pm, during the time of [far right party] Front National’s peak and the intertwining of all these factors culminate in “Petit Frère.” IAM scratches “C.R.E.A.M.,” flaunts their wrinkles and delivers their Sermon on the Mount. Is the message obsolete? No. Ten years later, it is “Petit Fier” that is entering Elysium.
—Abcdr du son magazine in 2009
Having spent their teen years in the Marseille projects in the ‘80s, Akhenaton and Shurik'N know the story all too well. On “Petit Frère,” they voice their displeasure at the fact that the story keeps repeating itself into the late '90s, in hopes of breaking the cycle.
IAM performed this classic at the 2015 Victoires de la Musique.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 5.IAM - Petit Frère (English Translation)