BÉNIN — MY HOMELAND French–English Jazz-Blues [INTRO — Piano & Saxophone | Spoken softly] Home is not just a place… Home is a feeling. It is the soil beneath our feet, The stories that live inside our hearts, And the memories we carry forever. Et pour moi… Le Bénin, c’est ma maison. ⸻ [COUPLET 1 — Jazz doux] By the Atlantic Ocean, Where the warm winds blow, There is a land that I love, A land I proudly know. La terre rouge sous mes pas, Le ciel bleu au-dessus de moi, A land that taught my heart to love, A land that taught me who I am. D’Abomey jusqu’à Ouidah, Our history is still alive, Our ancestors still speak to us, Their spirit will never die. Le Bénin m’appelle encore Et me dit doucement : “Come back home… Come back to your roots.” ⸻ [PRÉ-REFRAIN — Saxophone] Je peux partir, je peux voyager, I can cross the ocean blue, I can find another place to stay, But my heart still belongs to you. Au fond de moi, je le sais… A part of me will always belong To this beautiful land. ⸻ [REFRAIN — Warm Jazz Groove] Oh Benin… my homeland, You are the rhythm in my soul. Benin… my homeland, You are the land that makes me whole. À chaque chemin que je parcours, On every road I travel, In every dream I chase, I carry you inside my heart, I carry your love with me. Oh Bénin… My land, my pride. Wherever life may take me, You will always walk beside me. ⸻ [COUPLET 2 — Tambours légers] In the heart of the night, I hear the sound of drums. I see our people dancing, I feel where I come from. La sagesse de nos mères, La fierté de nos pères, The dreams of our children Are shining everywhere. Le son de nos langues résonne, Our traditions tell our story, Our culture tells us who we are. Et lorsque le monde me demande : « D’où viens-tu ? » Je souris et je réponds : “I come from Benin… Benin is my home.” ⸻ [PRÉ-REFRAIN — Saxophone montant] Nous avons connu la douleur, Nous avons connu la pluie, We have walked through difficult days, We have faced the storm. Mais comme le soleil après l’orage, We rise again. We stand again. And we keep moving on. ⸻ [REFRAIN — Saxophone + Trompette + Tambours] Oh Benin… my homeland, You are the rhythm in my soul. Benin… my homeland, You are the land that makes me whole. À chaque chemin que je parcours, On every road I travel, In every dream I chase, I carry you inside my heart, I carry your love with me. Oh Bénin… My land, my pride. Wherever life may take me, You will always walk beside me. ⸻ [PONT JAZZ — Piano Solo / Saxophone] Oh… Benin… Il y a quelque chose dans ton vent du soir, Something in your evening breeze, Something in your palm trees, Something in the sound of your drums That brings peace to a restless heart. Et même si je traverse les océans, Even if I cross a thousand oceans, Even if I live a thousand miles away, The roots you planted deep inside me Will never fade away. Benin lives in me. Benin lives in my heart. ⸻ [SOLO SAXOPHONE — 16 mesures] Oh… Benin… My homeland… My roots… My home… [Trompette répond] Benin… Benin… [Tambours — montée progressive] Dum… dum… ta-ka-dum… ⸻ [DERNIER REFRAIN — Plus puissant et émotionnel] Benin… my homeland, You are the rhythm in my soul. Benin… my homeland, You are the story that will never fade. De génération en génération, Your spirit will live forever. From our fathers to our children, Your story will go on. Oh Bénin… Ma terre, ma fierté. I may travel around the world, But I will always carry you inside me. You are my roots. You are my pride. You are my homeland. ⸻ [OUTRO — Piano & Saxophone très doux] Bénin… Land of my birth. Land of my roots. Land of my memories. Terre de ma naissance, Terre de mes racines, Terre de mes souvenirs. Wherever I go… Whatever life may bring… Le Bénin sera toujours… My home. My homeland. My roots. My pride. Le saxophone s’éteint doucement… Benin… You will always live Inside my heart.
