Ishtar - Wandererحبيبي سواحHabibi Sawwah

Updated media and translation

The Arabic lyrics to this song are taken from the hugely famous Abdel Halim Hafez song called "Sawwah" also available on the site here. I've seen "sawwah" translated as vagabond, but I'm gonna use wanderer because vagabond has negative connotations that I don't think are intended. Plus, there's that American oldies song "I'm a wanderer" that has kind of the same meaning. The word is inteded to convey the idea of someone who wanders or roams around, which a vagabond does, but vagabonds have a reputation for being beggars or thieves or having other negative attributes. Although they bastardized the song completely, it's done in a way that appeals to a young Western audience. I haven't managed to list the lyrics to the French rap in the middle of the song but would like to!

Alabina - A wanderer A wanderer, and I'm walking in the nights A wanderer, and I don't know what's going on with me Left wandering because of the separation, my precious A wanderer, what has happened to me? Years and I've been melting in desire and nostalgia I just wanna know the way to him And if you run into him say Hi to him for me Reassure me of how my man is doing so far from home

سواح - Alabina

سواح وانا ماشي الليالي
سواح ولا داري بحالي
سواح من الفرقة يا غالي
سواح ايه اللي جرى لي؟
وسنين وانا دايب بشوق وحنين
عايزة اعرف بس طريقه منين
وان لقاكم سلاموا لي عليه
طمنوني اسمراني عامل ايه الغربة فيه

Alabina - Darling Let's Goيا حبيبي يللهYa Habibi Yalla

This song sung by Ishtar Alabina, an Israeli born Moroccan Arab, is internationally famous. It features accompaniment NOT by the Gypsy Kings, but by another Gypsy band called Los Ninos de Sera (thanks Mali), which is why the first verse is in Spanish. She is very reminiscent of Dalida.

Alabina - Darling Let's Go From Granada to Casablanca I buried my imagination A guitar and a gypsy sings Sings about my Andalusia When I arrive to Casablanca You dance for me on the beach With your black eyes my chiquita And your enamored mouth Enamored just like you Enamored just like you Enamored just like you Like you, like you, nobody is like you

Let's go let's go
Darling let's go
Let's get happy and say "Oh my goodness!"
Let's go let's go
Darling let's go
Let's get happy and say "Oh my goodness!"

Let's keep going
Let's keep going
Let's keep going
Oh my torment, my torment, my torment
I tell him "god willing"

Your eyes are beautiful
Your lips are a song
Your eyes are beautiful
Your lips are a song
Oh my torment, my torment, my torment
I tell him "god willing"

يا حبيبي يلله - Alabina

de granada a casablanca
enterré mi fantasía
una guitarra y una gitana canta
canta mi andalucia
al llegar en casablanca
tu me baila en la playa
con tus ojos negros chiquita
y tu boca enamorada
enamorada como tu
enamorada como tu
enamorada como tu
como tu, como tu, hay nadie como tu...

يلله بنا يلله
يا حبيبي يلله
نفرح ونقول ما شاء الله
يلله بنا يلله
يا حبيبي يلله
نفرح ونقول ما شاء الله

يلله بنا على طول
يلله بنا على طول
يلله بنا على طول
آه يا ويلي ويلي ويلي
اقوله إن شاء الله

عيونك حلوة
شفايفك غنوة
عيونك حلوة
شفايفك غنوة
آه يا ويلي ويلي ويلي
اقوله إن شاء الله

Alabina - I Saw YouYo te ViJe t'ai vu

Alabina - I Saw You I saw you, I saw you I saw you by the way of the sun And so since that day which I saw you Love lives in my heart I grew, I grew and I grew with an restless sensation And so the thing that I felt Changed all the worst things

Oh my beautiful, oh my beautiful
Oh my beauty of the wonders
Oh rose, oh rose
Blooming among the gardens
In love, in love
His beauty keeps me up all night
He melted, melted my soul
With his beautiful eyes
With his beautiful eyes

Alabina - Yo te vi

Yo te vi yo te vi
Yo te vi por el camino de un sol
Y asi desde aquel dia en que te vi ahi
En mi corazon vive el amor
Yo cresi yo cresi
Y yo cresi con sentiemto agitador
Y asi la cosa en que yo senti
A cambiado todo lo peor

آه يا زين آه يا زين
آه يا زين العجبين
يا ورد يا ورد
انفتح بين البساتين
بالحب بالحب
جماله سهرني
دوب دوب لي روحي
بعيونه الحلوين
بعيونه الحلوين

Ishtar - They Blamed Meإشتار - لامونيLamouni

I don't have the version by Ishtar available for listening but you can hear the original here.

Ishtar - The Blamed Me The ones who are jealous of me blamed me And said to me "what do you like about her?" I ansewred the ones who were ignorant of my art 'Take my eyes and look at her' This girl that that you were all jealous of And you wanted me to forget her I can't ever leave here I am like a fish in her water

I am in her eyes Adam and she is in my eyes Eve
They told me 'why do you love a servant'
I told them 'I feel her inside'

Oh people what do you want from me?
And you were jealous of the secret
Artistic and I loved her in my art
And I am the one who adores her
Throughout my life I sing for her
And my poerty and my art are all for her

إشتار - لاموني

لاموني الي غارو مني وقالولي اش عجبك فيها
لاموني الي غارو مني وقالولي اش عجبك فيها
جاوبت الي جهلو فني خدوا عيني شوفو بيها

هاد الطفلة الي غرتو منها وحبيتوني باش ننساها مانقدرشي نبعد عنها وانا كالحوتة في ماها
هاد الطفلة الي غرتو منها وحبيتوني باش ننساها مانقدرشي نبعد عنها وانا كالحوتة في ماها
عاشق ومغروم في فنها حياتي كله وهبتو ليها

لاموني الي غارو مني وقالولي اش عجبك فيها
لاموني الي غارو مني وقالولي اش عجبك فيها
جاوبت الي جهلو فني خدوا عيني شوفو بيها

انا في عينيها ادم وهي في عينيا حواء
قالولي علاش تعشق خادم قولتلهم افديه من جوا
سمرا وغنا عليها العالم والعالم كله شاهد

لاموني الي غارو مني وقالولي اش عجبك فيها
لاموني الي غارو مني وقالولي اش عجبك فيها
جاوبت الي جهلو فني خدوا عيني شوفو بيها

يا ناس اش تحبو مني وغرته من السر الرباني فنية وعشقت في فني وانا الي عاششقها اني
يا ناس اش تحبو مني وغرته من السر الرباني فنية وعشقت في فني وانا الي عاششقها اني
طول حياتي عليها نغني وشعري وفني كله ليها

لاموني الي غارو مني وقالولي اش عجبك فيها
لاموني الي غارو مني وقالولي اش عجبك فيها
جاوبت الي جهلو فني خدوا عيني شوفو بيها

Ishtar - Like YouComme Toi

Alabina - Like You She had light coloured eyes and a velvet dress Next to her mother and the family around She is posing a little distracted in the soft Sun of the end of the day. The photo is not good but we can see into it The hapiness in person and the softness of an evening She loved music specially Shuman and Mozart

Like you
Like you I am looking softly
Like you who are dreaming about what
Like you

She went to the school of the down bellow village
She learnt the books she learnt the laws
She sang about the frogs and the princesses who sleep in the wood
She loved her doll she loved her friends
Specially Ruth and Anna and specially Jeremie
And they will marry one day maybe in Warsaw

Her name was Sarah she wasn’t quite 8
Her life it was softness dreams and white clouds
But other people had decided otherwise
She had your light coloured eyes and she was your age
She was a little girl uneventful life and very wise
But she is not born like you here and now

Alabina - Comme Toi

Elle avait les yeux clairs et la robe en velours
À côté de sa mère et la famille autour
Elle pose un peu distraite au doux soleil de la fin du jour
La photo n'est pas bonne mais l'on peut y voir
Le bonheur en personne et la douceur d'un soir
Elle aimait la musique surtout Schuman et puis Mozart

Comme toi comme toi comme toi comme toi
Comme toi comme toi comme toi comme toi
Comme toi que je regarde tout bas
Comme toi qui dort en rêvant à quoi
Comme toi comme toi comme toi comme toi

Elle allait à l'école au village d'en bas
Elle apprenait les livres elle apprenait les lois
Elle chantait les grenouilles et les princesses qui dorment au bois
Elle aimait sa poupée elle aimait ses amis
Surtout Ruth et Anna et surtout Jérémie
Et ils se marieraient un jour peut-être à Varsovie

Elle s'appelait Sarah elle n'avait pas huit ans
Sa vie c'était douceur rêves et nuages blancs
Mais d'autres gens en avaient décidé autrement
Elle avait tes yeux clairs et elle avait ton âge
C'était une petite fille sans histoires et très sage
Mais elle n'est pas née comme toi ici et maintenant