full song lyrics

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 songs. It originated in Iraq and quickly spread throughout the Arabic world with the advent of radio and television. One of the earliest versions was performed by Nazem al-Ghazali, but there are others by Sabah Fakhri, Ilham al-Madfai, Kazem el-Saher and many others. Of course, the verses seem to be infinite. I've always tried to understand the song, which eventually led me to discussion forums discussing the lyrics and meaning. That's when I discovered the open secret that the lyrics are not actually فوق النخل, or "above the palm trees," but rather فوق إلنا خل, ie "I've got a friend above/up there" however you want to translate it. According to a discussion among posters in this forum her...

Updated media and translation The lyrics are from a Nizar Qabbani poen. The original translation was very hastily done, but I've updated it now. Kazem el-Saher - Love School Loving you taught me how to be sad I've been in need for ages for a woman to make me sad For a women for me to cry in her arms like a sparrow For a woman to gather my pieces like shards of broken crystal Loving you, milady, taught me my worst habits It taught me to open my cup at night a thousand times And try herbal medicine and knock on the doors of fortune-tellers It taught me to leave my house to comb the sidewalks And follow your face with the rains in the headlights of cars The light of your eyes is millions of stars Oh woman, you made the world spin Oh my pain! Loving you, milady, made me enter the cities of sadness Cities of sadness that I had not entered before you I didn't ever know that tears make you human That someone without sadness is a vestige of a human Loving you taught me to act like...

You'll notice an exceedingly high percentage of the accompanying musicians wearing dark sunglasses. This is because in Baghdad there was a music school for the blind in the large Baghdad Jewish community, which produced scores of talented musicians and composers. Wahida Khalil - Who Are You Blaming? Who are you blaming, oh heart, who are you blaming Who was it that you loved and tried and believed in Love is not faithfulness, only abandonment and betrayal Who are you blaming, oh heart, who are you blaming Stop blaming and quit criticizing Did you think you were in love with an angel (???) Remember this shock and consider You loved him and he loved you And you were faithful to him and he was not faithful to you Who are you blaming, oh heart, who are you blaming Stop blaming he who is gone He gave me sorrow while I gave him pureness I started to reach him but he rejected me and cut me off He cut the chord of love, that guy that I had loved Who are you blaming, oh heart, who are you b...

So here I have translated "helw (حلو)" "pretty" or "pretty person" as "boy" because it is a woman singing. However if a man were to sing this song, and it seems to be written from the persona of a man, it should be translated as "girl" I think. Lamea Tawfiq - This Boy This boy is killing me auntie I love him so much and I want to tell him So how can you not understand me, auntie? My whole soul is with him Oh auntie, auntie This boy is killing me and I want him My heart has suffered while my soul is his hands I can't bear being far from him So how can I give my heart patience (to bear it) When the fire of passion is burying it My whole soul is with him Oh auntie, auntie He's inflicted me with sadness His light is much more beautiful than the moon I'm lost in my love, auntie So how can I give my heart patience When the fire of passion is burying it My whole soul is with him Oh auntie, auntie Oh woe is me, oh the pain of my lov...

Afifa Iskender - It Burned my Soul It burned my soul when we parted I cried and drowned them in my tears What did my heart say when we parted It burned my soul when we parted As I bid them farewell I say how can I forget them My heart, for God's sake go with them I would rather die than us be apart I want those who left me to come back from the journey I want to give them part of my soul as a keepsake I've experienced every kind of affliction عفيفة إسكندر - حرقت الروح حرقت الروح لمن فارقتهم بكيت ومن دموعي غرقتهم إيش قال القلب لمن ودعتهم حرقت الروح لمن فارقتهم اْودعهم واْقول إشلون اْنساهم ياقلبي لخاطر الله روح وياهم اْريد الموت اْنا وماريد فرقاهم اْريد اللي فارقوني بعد مشوار اْريد اْنطيهم الدلال تذكار واْنا بكل المصايب جربتهم Lyrics transcription from here

This is a hard song to decipher for me for a lot of reasons, but I've done my best here to convey the meaning. The phrase "branch of basil (نبعة الريحان)" refers to the beloved of the poet, and this is intended to mean that she is pretty and sweet-swelling, basil being a sign of perfume in Iraq. In addition, basil is known to be a cure-all of sorts, and I think in calling the lover a branch of basil, the poet is demanding a cure for his love, describing himself as "walhaan (ولهان)" a word meaning in love with the connotation of being mad or sick in love. Of course, the cure for this sickness is to be with his love, the branch of basil. Interestingly, the song, written by Abdel Karim al Alaf (عبد الكريم العلاف), is being sung from the persona of a man, even though the original performer, Selima Murad, is a woman. Selima Murad or "Selima Pasha" herself is a unique figure in Arabic music history, as she was one of the early great figures of Iraqi music an...

This is a song about a guy flirting with a very pretty girl who is flirting back by rejecting him arrogantly Nazem al-Ghazali - Coming Out of Her Father's House Coming out of her father's house on her way to the neighbor's house She passed by and didn't say hi to me Perhaps this pretty girl is upset I told her, "my dear, give me some water I'm thirsty" She said, "go away you poor boy, our water does not quench the thirsty" I told her "my dear, then show me your height" (meaning her pretty stature) She told me "go away my poor boy, my height is a branch of basile" (I know this makes sense, I can't figure out how to translate it a way that makes sense. Basile was once warn by women as a perfume, although less so today, in Arabia. This line means she is tall, pretty and sweet, and not for him) I told her "my dear, then show me your eyes" She told me "go away my poor boy, my eyes are as pretty as the gazelle...

Sorry I don't have words for the mumbling poetry interspersed in this song. Ali El Aisawi - Forgive Me Forgive me Accept my apology Time wants us to be apart It's not my decision Time wants us to be apart It's not my decision Your tears rained on me But the rain did not put out my fire Your tears rained on me But the rain did not put out my fire If only you would become for a me a candle to light up my home But the days order that we separate And the order is in effect Time called me and said "today I want my revenge" It's not easy for me to hate you And when I left you it wasn't my choice I can't believe I've found you after waiting so long علي العيساوي - سامحيني سامحيني اتقبلي مني اعتذاري الزمن رايد نبتعد لا مو قراري الزمن رايد نبتعد لا موقراري ادري بدموعك مطر بس المطر ماطفا ناري ادري بدموعك مطر بس المطر ما طفى ناري ريتك تصيرين اليا شمعة وتنورين داري لكن الأيام حكمت نفترق والحكم جاري ثاري يطلبني الزمان وقال اريد ليوم ثاري انتي مو سهل اعوفك وابعدت...

To see the original version of this song performed by Afifa Iskender click here . Kazem al-Saher - It Burned my Soul It burned my soul when we parted I cried and drowned them in my tears What did my heart say when we parted It burned my soul when we parted I bid them farwell as I say how can I forget them My heart, for God's sake go with them I would rather die than us be apart I want those who left me to come back from the journey I want to give them my affection as a keepsake I've experienced every kind of affliction كاظم الساهر - حرقت الروح حرقت الروح لمن فارقتهم بكيت ومن دموعي غرقتهم إيش قال القلب لمن ودعتهم حرقت الروح لمن فارقتهم اْودعهم واْقول إشلون اْنساهم ياقلبي لخاطر الله روح وياهم اْريد الموت اْنا وماريد فرقاهم اْريد اللي فارقوني بعد مشوار اْريد اْنطيهم الدلال تذكار واْنا بكل المصايب جربتهم

For me, this was a really difficult song, and if anyone has any additional information on it, that would be greatly appreciated. As far as I can tell, it is based on an old Arabic folk song native to either Syria or the wider area of Sham that includes Iraq as well. This version sung by Ali El Aisawy is adapted for an Iraqi audience. As to the story of behind the song, I don't know. But from the words, it seems like there is a guy who is down on his luck out in the desert or in the country, maybe with his family or relatives, and they are making him doing work and not letting him hang out with girls. Any of your guesses would be as good as mine though. Ali El Aisawy - A Scorpion Stung Me in My Chest A scorpion stung me in my chest, oh woe is me How do the stung sleep? I'm afraid my nemesis will hear me, oh woe is me, and put out my candles with his hands (i translated "3aadhil" as nemesis cuz it's a person who is jealous and hates you and wants you to fail so he c...

Updated media and translation This is a poem in standard Arabic performed by Iraqi musician Ilham al-Madfai. Ilham al-Madfai - Like a Raindrop Like a raindrop I was alone darling Alone, my darling Like a raindrop Don't be sad Tomorrow I will buy you the moon and a morning star And a garden of flowers Tomorrow, if I return from my journey Tomorrow, if leaves sprout in my ribs of stone But today I'm alone my darling Alone my darling like a raindrop إلهام المدفعي - قطرة المطر كقطرة المطر كنت وحيدا ياحبيبتي وحيدا ياحبيبتي كقطرة المطر لاتحزني سأشتري غدا لك القمر ونجمة الضحى وبستانا من الزهر غدا إذا عدت من السفر غدا إذا أورق في ضلوعي الحجر ولكنني اليوم وحيدا ياحبيبتي وحيدا ياحبيبتي كقطرة المطر