Abdel Halim Hafez - I Dream of Youعبد الحليم حافظ - بحلم بيكBahlam Beek

Updated media and translation

Abdel Halim Hafez - Dream of You I Dream of you, I dream of you And with my longing I await you And if you check up on me It would be enough for me I lived happy nights dreaming of you I dream of you

I dream of you, my darling
You filled my days with joy
I dream of you, know since when
Since the first moment I knew I loved you
I've been dreaming of you, I love you
And you are my first and last love
And you are my life and my smile

I dream of a paradise that my imagination couldn't hold before I love you
I'm dreaming of you and it's as if you're right beside me all these nights
I keep on loving you and talking to you, my sweetheart
I call you by the most beautiful name my sweetheart

As long as my life lasts my darling
I'll wait for you forever my darling
Night and day I will say oh my darling
Nobody's told you about this longing I feel for you
Some day that longing will reach you and you can experience its nights

عبد الحليم حافظ - بحلم بك

بحلم بيك انا بحلم بيك
وباشواقي مستنيك
وان ما سائلتش فيا
يبقا كفاية عليا
عشت ليالي هنيا احلم بييك
انا بحلم بيك

بحلم بيك يا حبيبي انا
ياللي مليت ايامي هنا
بحلم بيك عارف من امتى
من اول ماعرفت احب
بحلم بيك وبحبك وانت
اول حب وآخر حب
وانت حياتي وابتساماتي

بحلم بالجنة الي خيالي
قبل الحب ماكانش يطولها
بحلم بيك وبيتهائلي
انك جمبي ليالي بطولها
وافضل احبك واحكيلك يا حبيب قلبي
باجمل اسم اناديلك يا حبيب قلبي

اد ما عمري يطول يا حبيبي
حستناك علطول يا حبيبي
ليلي نهاري بقول يا حبيبي
ياللي ماحدش قالك عالشوق اللي انا فيه
بكرة الشوق يوصلك وتجرب لياليه

Fairuz - The People Asked Meفيروز - سألوني الناسSa'alouny el Nas

Mansour Rahbani wrote this song for his brother and partner Assi Rahbani when he fell ill. Of course, Fairuz was the wife of Assi at that time, and to top it off, Assi's son the budding talent Ziad Rahbani was asked to compose the music.

Fayrouz - The People Asked Me The people have asked me about you, my darling They've written letters and the wind took them It's not easy for me to sing, my darling When for the first time, we are not together

The people asked me about you, they asked me
I said "he's coming back, don't you dare blame me"
I closed my eyes fearing that the people would see me hiding you in my eyes (meaning she's thinking about him and caring for him)
And the wind picked up out of nowhere
For the first time, we are not together

He appeared in the night and said "light my way"
"The night found me and put out my lamp"
"Don't ask me how I found me"
"My heart was my guide to you"
"He who has suffered in longing has truly suffered"
For the first time, we are not together

فيروز - سألوني الناس

سألوني الناس عنك يا حبيبي
كتبوا المكاتيب و أخدها الهوا
بيعز عليي غني يا حبيبي
و لأول مرة ما منكون سوا

سألوني الناس عنك يا حبيبي
كتبوا المكاتيب و أخدها الهوا
بيعز عليي غني يا حبيبي
و لأول مرة ما منكون سوا

سألوني الناس عنك سألوني
قلتلن راجع أوعى تلوموني
سألوني الناس عنك سألوني
قلتلن راجع أوعى تلوموني
غمضت عيوني خوفي للناس
يشوفوك مخبى بعيوني
و هب الهوى و ما كان الهوى
لأول مرة ما منكون سوا

سألوني الناس عنك يا حبيبي
كتبوا المكاتيب و أخدها الهوا
بيعز عليي غني يا حبيبي
و لأول مرة ما منكون سوا

طل من الليل قالي ضويلي
لاقاني الليل و طفى قناديلي
طل من الليل قالي ضويلي
لاقاني الليل و طفى قناديلي
و لا تسأليني كيف إستهديت
كان قلبي لعندك دليلي
و اللي إكتوى بالشوق إكتوى
لأول مرة ما منكون سوا

سألوني الناس عنك يا حبيبي
كتبوا المكاتيب و أخدها الهوا
بيعز عليي غني يا حبيبي
و لأول مرة ما منكون سوا

سألوني الناس عنك يا حبيبي
كتبوا المكاتيب و أخدها الهوا
بيعز عليي غني يا حبيبي
و لأول مرة ما منكون سوا

Lyrics transcription from La7oon.com

Joseph Saqer - Living All By Herself Without Youجوزيف صقر - عايشة وحدها بلاكAyshe Wahda Balak

This is a legendary song from the play "Bil nisba lebukra shou (بالنسبة لبكرا شو)" composed by Ziad Rahbani and performed by Joseph Saqr. The video isn't, but the audio file I've provided is the original performed by Joseph Saqr.

Joseph Saqr - Living All By Herself Without You Living all by herself without you And without your love, my boy Quit talking about your love for her The whole country is laughing at you

You love her? Yeah, you love her
But she couldn't care less about you

Living all by herself without you
Disgusted by God and your heaven
What has God afflicted you with my boy?

Living by herself and comfortable
Seriously, soooo comfortable without you
She has killer eyes, it makes no difference if you care about her
She said to you "melt me with your love" and you melted and she didn't
It's not the first time, before that it's happened 100 times
They can't figure out what you're thinking, nor do they know what will cure you

You're telling me it's a sign that her eyes are always pointed at you
Whenever she comes through the neighborhood I see her looking at everyone
Quit analyzing your life, hand over those analyses of yours
From one time to the next you're going backwards
The children of our neighborhood never knew how to love, except you

جوزيف صقر وزياد رحباني - عايشة وحدا بلاك

عايشة وحدها بلاك
وبلا حبك يا ولد
حاج تحكي عن هواك
ضحكت عليك البلد

بتحبها أيه بتحبها
لاكن هي فيك ياما بلاك

عايشة وحدها بلاك
وعايفة الله وسماك
شو الله بلاك ياولد

عايشة وحدها و مرتاحة ولو شو مرتاحة بلاك
يا أبو العيون الدباحة مش فارق معها حنان
قالتلك
دوبني دوب دبت وهيى مدابت مش اول مرة قبلها مئة مرة
لا قدروا فهمو عئلاتك ولا قدروا عرفو دواك

قايللي في إشارة بعيونها صوبك بتدل
كل ما بتمرق بالحارة بشوفها تطلع بالكل
حاجي تحلل بحياتك تسلملي تحليلاتك
من مرة لمرة عم ترجع لورا
ولاد الحارة كلون أبداً عرفوا حبوا من عداك

Joseph Saqer - The Busجوزيف صقر - البوسطةEl Bosta

This song is taken from one of the plays of Ziad Rahbani entitled "Nazl El Surour" or "Happy Inn" and is performed by Joseph Saqr. This song is hugely famous in Lebanon and Syria and was later performed by Fairuz. For that version click here.

Tannourine is where the cedar tree reserve is found in Lebanon, one of the few places where you can still find old Lebanese cedars growing.

Joseph Saqr - The Bus Upon the rumble of the bus that was carrying us from the village of Hamlaya to the village of Tannourine I remembered you, oh Aaliyah, and I remember your eyes God damn your eyes are so pretty Aaliyah

We were riding the bus in this heat and dying of exhaustion
One guy's eating lettuce, another guy's eating figs
And there's another guy with his wife
Wow, his wife is so ugly
Lucky them, their minds are completely empty, the Tannourine passengers
They don't know your eyes, Aaliyah
They're so beautiful

We were riding the bus, riding without paying
Sometimes we shut up the door for the driver
Sometimes we shut up the passengers
That guy who's hear with his wife, he's turning red and his wife got dizzy
I swear he'd let her get out by herself at Tannourine if he saw your eyes, oh Aaliyah
They're so beautiful

جوزيف صقر - البوسطة

موعود بعيونك أنا موعود
وشو قطعت كرمالن ضيع وجرود
فأنت عيونك سود
مانك عارفة شو بيعملوا فيي

عهدير البوسطة اللي كانت ناقلتنا
في ضيعة حملايا على ضيعة تنّورين
تذكرتك يا عليا
وتذكرت عيونك
يخرب بيت عيونك يا عليا شو حلوين

نحنا كنا طالعين
بهشوب وفطسانين
واحد عمياكل خس
وواحد عم ياكل تين
وفي واحد هو ومرتو
ولو شو بشعة مرتو
نيالن ما أفضا بالن
ركاب تنورين
ومش عارفين
عيونك يا عليا شو حلوين

نحنا كنا طالعين
طالعين ومش دافعين
ساعى نهديلو البال
ساعة نهدي الركاب
هيدا اللي هو ومرتو
عباء وداخت مرتو
وحياتك كان يتركها
تطلع وحدها عا تنورين
لو بيشوفو عيونك يا عليا
شــــو حلويــن

Zeki Nasif - The Beautiful Lady is Asking About My Heartزكي ناصيف - تسألني الحسناء عن قلبيTas'aluni Il Hasnaa' 3an Qalbi

Updated media and translation

Zeki Nasif - The Beautiful Lady is Asking About My Heart The beautiful lady is asking me about my heart And my eyes don't know what to tell her

The beautiful lady is asking me about my heart
And oh how my lips long to whisper "I love her"
And the question is absent in the calm of night (meaning when I am alone and she is not there to ask)
Then the answer flows out in rapturous song to us

The beautiful lady is asking me about the dreams of my youth
Does her heart not answer?

زكي ناصيف – تسألني الحسناء عن قلبي

تسألني الحسناء عن قلبي فلا تدري مقلتاي ماذا تقولان لها

تسألني الحسناء عن قلبي
فكم تصبو شفتاي لتهمسا أحبها
ويغيب السؤال في هدأة الليل
فينساب الجواب أغنيات هازجات لنا الشباب

تسألني الحسناء عن قلبي وعن أحلام صبايا
هل لا يجيب قلبها

Wael Kfoury - How Can I Forgive Her?وائل كفوري - كيف بدي سامحهKeef Biddi Samho

Updated media and translation

Wael Kfoury - How Can I Forgive Her? How can I forgive her? How can I make good with her? She left my heart like a bird with broken wings How can I love her again when my heart is broken? How can I be with her after what I've suffered?

I'm sleepless at night waiting by myself
She left my heart like a bird with broken wings

After what she has done to me who can I blame?
She's going to say that I'm wrong and she's the victim
She's so selfish that she dissolved my affection for her
She left my heart like a bird with broken wings

وائل كفوري - كيف بدي سامحه

كيف بدي سامحه
كيف بدي صالحه
ترك قلبي مثل الطير
الي مكسوره جوانحه

كيف بدي ارجع حبه
و أنا قلبي داب
كيف بدي اعيش بقربه
بعد العذاب

سهران الليالي
عم بنطر لحالي
ترك قلبي مثل الطير
الي مكسوره جوانحه

بعد الي عمله فيا
من بدي لوم
رايح عم يحكي عليا
انه مظلوم

قدما أنو أناني
دوبلي حناني
ترك قلبي مثل الطير
الي مكسوره جوانحه

Ali El Aisawy - A Scorpion Stung Me in My Chestعلي العيساوي - عقرب بصدري لسعنيAqrab Bisadri Lisaani

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 can enjoy it)

They made me carry wood and sent me out with their sheep
They didn't let me stay up late and hanging out with the girls

God build you (make you live long, same word) oh Baghdad
Building on top of building
With pretty girls dressed in gowns (these gowns of course are those full body black gowns)

Stung oh I'm stung
I'm stung my friend and there's a fire in my side
I didn't close my eyes but my tears are falling

علي العيساوي - عقرب بصدري

عقرب بصدري لسعني يا ويلي
شلون ينام الملسوعي
خوفي العاذل يسمعني يا ويلي
وبايديه يطفي لي شموعي

وحملوني العصايا سرحوني بغنمهم
حرموني من سهر الليل ومعاشرة الصبايا

الله يعمرك يا بغداد بناية فوق بناية
بيك بنات حلوات ملبسات العبايا

ملسوع انا ملسوع
ملسوع يا صاحبي والنار بضلوعي
ما غمضت بس تنزل دموعي

Bassam Bitar - Under Her Howdahبسام بيطار - تحت هودجهاTaht Howdijha

This is part of our Syrian Debke Podcast

A modern take on an old Syrian folk song. For more see the Sabah Fakhri version

Bassam Bitar - Under Her Howdah Under her howdah While we fought Swords were drawn Oh woe is me Oh woe is me They took my love and went north They went afar, went afar How can I fly when I have no wings

بسام بيطار - تحت هودجها(يا ويل حالي)

تحت هودجها
وتعالجنا
صار سحب سيوف
ياويل حالي
ياويل .... ياويل حالي
أخذو حبي وراحو شمالي
راحوا لبعيد .... لبعيد راحوا
كيف بدي أطير وجناح مالي
ياويلي ... ياويل حالي