An old but classic Nawal song.Nawal al-Zoghbi - Don't You Ever Get Tired?Everytime we meet he starts to speakAnd ask me without hearing an answerInstead of saying to me"My dear, what's wrong?"He passes the whole timeNagging [...]
Lena Chamamyan - Before Dinnerلينا شماميان - قبل العشاQabl El Isha
Lena Chamamian - Before DinnerNot before dinner sirAfter dinner yes, yesWith who can I send my greetings to youWith my soul (literally "apple of the eye") or my heart?Oh lighting send them my regards whenever you strikeWhen [...]
Nawal al-Kuwaiti - The Days of Our Loveنوال كويتية - أيام حبكAyam Hobak
Nawal al-Kuwaiti - The Days of Our LoveSuch wonderful days were the days of our loveYou were coursing through my veins (literally, "you were spreading in my soul")And I was loving you madlyYour heart is hard, but my heart [...]
Ronza - Do You Thinkرونزا - قولكAwlak
Ronza was popular in the 80s, with many songs composed by the Rahbani Brothers after Fairuz and Assi's divorce.Ronza - Do You Think?Do you think we'll ever meet again and go out?And talk like we used to when we were youngAnd [...]
Your Day of Triumph is Comingنصرك جايNasrak Jayy
Here is a Hezbollah nationalist propaganda video complete with shabab chorus praising their political leader, Hassan Nasrallah.Nijem - Your Day of Triumph is ComingHassan Nasrallah:This Israel that possesses nuclear weapons and the strongest air force [...]
Rachid Taha - Everybody Out!رشيد طه - بره برهBarra Barra
"Barra (بره)" means "outside" and therefore "barra barra" means "get out" or "everybody out". This song is about all the problems there are in Algeria, and the reality that you have to get out of the country to escape those [...]
Amr Diab - What Can We Say? (I'm Yours)عمرو دياب - نقول ايه | أنا ليكNeoul Eh (Ana Leek)
Amr Diab - What Can We Say? (I'm Yours)What can we say?That's it, there's nothing left for us to sayWe've reached a level of love that nobody in this world has every reachedI'm yours, my darling, and I will never be anyone's [...]
DAM - I Have No Freedomدام - ما إلي حريةMali Hurriye
DAM - I Have No FreedomChorus:Everywhere I go I see borders, imprisoning humanityHow come all the children in the world are free, but I have no freedom?Tamer:We've been living for more than fifty years behind the bars of the laws that are imprisoning [...]
Amr Diab - Light of My Eyeعمرو دياب - نور العينHabibi Ya Nour el AynLumière De Mes Yeux
Updated media and translationThis is one of the most well known modern Arabic pop songs in the world. I think it was made around 1996. It made this Egyptian singer, Amr Diab the preeminent popstar of the Arabic world to [...]
Sofia Marikh - The Word Loveصوفيا مريخ - كلمة حبKilmet Hob
Sofia Marikh - The Word LoveWhat difference would the word "love" make?You could satisfy me with itMy heart asks about it a lot and you're keeping it from meTell me what you're feeling and make it sweetWhy are you holding [...]
The Rosanna عالروزانا الروزاناAl Rozana
The song "Al Rozana (ع الروزانا)" is a folk song native to the region of the Levant or بلاد الشام, ie Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. The story behind it is that at the height of the intense wheat famine that the region experienced at the beginning of [...]
Sofia Marikh - I Love You So Muchصوفيا مريخ - نبغيك بزافBizzaf
Sofia Marikh - I Love You So MuchI love you so much, so much my darlingAnd I love you to deathNobody but you has changed my lifeNor is anyone but you ever on my mindYou are so dear to my heart my darlingYour love is growing [...]
Ahmed Qabour - I'm Calling Youأحمد قعبور - أناديكمOunadikom
These lyrics are taken from a poem written in 1966 by Tawfiq Ziad (توفيق زيّاد), who was a Palestinian poet and later went on to become mayor of Nazareth and finally a member of the Knesset after his return from the Soviet [...]
Majida el-Roumi - Listen to My Heartماجدة الرومي - إسمع قلبيIsmaa AlbiÉcoute Mon Cœur
Updated media and translationShe's addressing her lover, expressing embarassment from his question "do you love me" or something along those lines. She's saying she doesn't want to respond, and he should know that from her behavior, that is, he should [...]
Ramallah Underground feat. Lethal Skillz - From the Caveمن الكهفMin il Kaheff
Ramallah Underground feat. Lethal Skillz - From the CaveWords in the Sample:They wanna starve the population, cuz when the people are hungry, they no longer think of resistingStormtrap:I'm playing with deathI wanna know what is death toll hereI [...]
Tamer Hosny - Loveتامر حسني - حبHob
Tamer Hosny - LoveWhere was love before I loved youTomorrow, no I don't want tomorrow unless with youIf I will live calling one word may it be your nameIf I will live dreaming of tomorrow may it be from youYou are my favorite [...]
Mira Awad - Our Relationshipميرا عوض - علاقتناOlaqatuna
Mira Awad (Arabic ميرا عوض Hebrew מירה עווד) is an Arab-Israeli. Her father is a Palestinian from the Galilee and her mother is Bulgarian. In recent years, she has become famous and controversial as the first person of Arab [...]
Amr Diab - With Herعمرو دياب - وياهWayah
Amr Diab - With HerThis is what I've always wantedFor chance to bring her together with meWhy would I waste the chance of a lifetime?No wayShe's looking into my eyesThis is more than I've ever dreamed ofThis is the day that [...]
Fairuz - Oh Lauraفيروز - يا لور حبكYa Laure Hubbuki
This song appeared in the play Meis al Rim (ميس الريم) written by the Rahbani Brothers and starring Fairouz. I have supplied here the video from the play, in which Joseph Nassif (جوزيف نصيف) is singing, in addition to the [...]
Makhoul Qassouf - If Only the Moon...مخول قاصوف - ريتو القمرReito al Amar
Recorded in 1982, sung by Sami Hawat (سامي حواط)Makhoul Qassouf - If Only the Moon...If only the moon would come down as breadUpon our houses and our fieldsOn wrecked homesOn tired heartsWeariness has returnedAll of the [...]
Above the Palm Trees/I've Got a Friend Up Thereفوك النخل\فوق إلنا خلFoug El Nakhel/Foug Ilna Khill
We've translated many an Arabic folk song here on the blog performed by various artists, but the discussion on this song is so massive and the versions so numerous that it deserves its own post. "Fog al-Nakhel (فوق النخل)" is one of the most famous Arabic [...]
Mohamed Abdel Wahhab - Don't Kiss Me on the Eyeمحمد عبد الوهاب - بلاش تبوسني في عنياBalash Tebousni fi Anaya
This song requires a piece of cultural knowledge. When kissing someone goodbye, if it is going to be a long separation or even permanent farewell you might kiss them on their eye. Thus, Mohamed Abdel Wahhab says "don't kiss [...]
Abdel Rizzaq al-Jabbouri - Truck Driverعبد الرزاق الجبوري - المرهدنEl Murahdan (Ya Shofeer al Qamara)
This song and video clip are particularly interesting because they really go to the heart of what independent or at least non-corporate music in the Arab World means, and reflects cultural and musical reality of what really is the majority of the world's [...]
Fairuz - The Shalabi Girlفيروز - البنت الشلبيةAl Bint Al Shalabiya
I'm confused as to whether شلبي is a word with any meaning or it is just a place name. Can someone help me out?Fairouz - The Shalabi GirlThe Shalabi girlShe has almond eyesI love you from the bottom of my heartOh sweetheart, [...]
Carol Samaha - Like a Dreamكارول سماحة - مثل الحلمMitl el HilmComme un rêve
Updated media and translation Carol Samaha - Like a DreamLike a dreamWe were two unlike anyoneThe dream was lostAnd we split in twoWaiting for a wordWe are not thinking the sameWe never agree with each otherDespite that [...]
Haifa Wehbe - I am Haifaهيفاء وهبي - أنا هيفاءAna Haifa
The lyrics to this song might not seem to make sense, and believe me, they don't make much sense in Arabic, and they are not really intended to. It is just filler for Haifa to say her name and dance in my opinion. For some [...]
Selma with Ziad Rahbani - Suit Against Anonymousسلمى وزياد رحباني - دعوة ضد مجهولDaawa Didd Mejhoul
Updated translationThis is off an album sung by Selma and composed by Ziad Rahbani. It's one of the few examples of Arabic jazz that i've seen.The lyrics of this song are difficult to translate, especially the insults, which [...]
Kazem el-Saher - Love Schoolكاظم الساهر - مدرسة الحبMadrasat el-Hob
Updated media and translationThe lyrics are from a Nizar Qabbani poen. The original translation was very hastily done, but I've updated it now.Kazem el-Saher - Love SchoolLoving you taught me how to be sadI've been in need [...]
Sara Al Hani - If I Had to Chooseسارة الهاني - لو خيرونيLaw Khayarouni
المتصفح الذي لديك لايدعم مشغل الأغاني. دبر حالك و روح نزل البرنامج أو .<A HREF="http://server5.sm3na.com/452/Sm3na_com_Law_Khayarouni.rm">اضغط هنا</A> [...]
Mustafa Amar - Protect Meمصطفى قمر - خبينيKhabini
The verb خبى means "to hide" "to hold" or "to protect" or perhaps "to shield." Here I've used protect me, but know that it simultaneously means "hold me" in these sentences.المتصفح الذي لديك لايدعم مشغل الأغاني. دبر حالك [...]
Ragheb Alama - When I'm With Youراغب علامة - وأنا وياكWana Wayak
Ragheb Alama - When I'm With YouWhen I'm with you, my darling, it's like I'm in heavenI found more than I could have wished for in youI'm in another world when I'm with youI love you and I couldn't live out my days without [...]
Tamer Ashour - It Looks Like It's Goneتامر عشور - باينه ضاعBaynu Daa
Tamer Ashour - It Looks Like It's GoneI'm afraid to get closeSomeone listening is coming from afarComing to shatter our beautiful hopesAnd I'll live alone afterwardsToday is the day that we had never consideredWhenever our [...]
Somaya - Beating Around the Bushسمية - لف ودورانLiff wa Dawaran
Leff wa Dawaran لف ودوران is an Arabic expression that means the equivalent of "beating around the bush" or not directly saying what you want to say.المتصفح الذي لديك لايدعم مشغل الأغاني. دبر حالك و روح نزل البرنامج أو .<A [...]
