Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Khaled's "Didi" lyrics

Here's a link to the lyrics of "Didi"--in Arabic, transliterated, and translated into English.

This link has now gone dead, it seems, so here's an alternative, from Leo's Lyrics Database:

ena bhar aaliya ou entia la
(I'm burning in the fire of love but you're not)
ma ndeerik ba'eeda ma nebki aalik
(I will not make you away from me so I don't cry later i.e. he wants to be always close from her)
la zhar la memoon la aargoob zine
(but I just have a bad luck and destiny)
CHORUS:
didi, didi, didi, didi, zin di wah
(take take, take take, take take, take take the beautiful girl away)
didi wah, didi, didi di hazzine daaayyeeeah
(take take, take take, take take take this beautiful girl away)
ma ndeerik ba'eeda ma nebki aalik
(I will not make you away from me so I don't cry later)
ma ndeerik ba'eeda ma nsaksi aalik
(I will not make you away from me so I don't ask about you later i.e. because she'll always be close from him he'll know everything about her and won't need to ask people about her)
la zhar la memoon la aargoob zine
(but I just have bad luck and destiny)
[CHORUS]
la baadouk aali l'jbal l'ghamqa
(even if they take you to the top of the highest mountain...)
derna l'melqa fil'jbal l'ghamqa
(I will still come to see you)
hzamt l'meryoula aala men darga?
(This literally means "who doesn't know her belt?". It's a metaphor that means "everybody knows her" or possibly means that she's known well by other men because she always hangs in bars, or maybe he's just saying "just like a woman that hangs in bars is known very well to other men, it's also very clear how I feel towards you (e.g. I love you)". This last one makes more sense to me and it's probably what Khaled is trying to say)
[CHORUS]
la zhar la memoon la aargoob zain
(I have a bad luck and destiny)
la zhar la memoon la qassam zain
(I have a bad luck and destiny)
qees el-shebka fil'bhar ou ebki aal'zhar
(drop the fishing net in the sea and cry on the bad luck -- this is another metaphor, he's describing his bad luck just like a fisherman who drops his fishing net in the sea and gets no fish)
[CHORUS]
hzamt l'meryoula aala men darga?
(who doesn't knokw her belt? (explained above)
rofd ahta ya moul el-taxi
(he's talking to the taxi driver but I'm not sure what he means by "rofd ahta")
hzamt l'meryoula khait spylo
(her belt is made of "spylo")

[CHORUS]

la zhar la memoon la aargoob zain
(I have a bad luck and destiny)
la zhar la memoon la qassam zine
(I have a bad luck and destiny)
qees el-shebka fil'bhar ou ebki aal'zhar
(drop the fishing net in the sea and cry on the bad luck)

[CHORUS]

aynik ki ayni aynik naymeen
(your eyes are sleepy -- he's describing her eyes, he says that they're not wide open, they're opened a little bit only. This is a sign of beauty (for him at least)
aynik ki ayni aynik mbalgeen
(your eyes are nice)
aynik ki ayni aynik shabbeen
(your eyes are beautiful)
[CHORUS]
derna el-melqa fil'jbal l'ghamqa
(I'll come to see even if you're on the top of the highest mountain)
derna el-melqa aand el-soosi jarha
(or I'll come to see you in the neighborhood (i.e. wherever she is, he'll do anything to see her)
rofd ahta aa moul el-taxi
(he's talking to the taxi driver, but again, I don't know what he means by "rofd ahta")

14 comments:

Szavanna said...

Thanks for this - I included it in my blog at http://www.szavanna.co.za/?p=409 - much greetings from South Africa

Prithvi said...

Thanks ! This was the most comprehensive version I could find.

Prithvi India

Anonymous said...

Many thanks for the comprehensive translation for this song … Around 1992 I travelled throughout Africa for about a year and I clearly remember this song was being played everyway. I always wondered what Khaled was singing about…. Now I know :)

Anonymous said...

Sorry that was meant to be 'everywhere'.... Its late a night :)

Anonymous said...

Wow! I'm so impressed, you did a lot of dedication into that! :)
I've been looking for the lyrics and translation for what now, fifteen years? THANK YOU! :D

Roomy Naqvy said...

This is really impressive, Professor. As a fellow academic, perhaps someone younger, I can well understand the effort you put in. Really appreciated.

Uma said...

thanks for posting this!

MrIceBreaker said...

Thank you so much professor, I am of Arabic descent and I've known this song for quite a long time, but I really couldn't understand anything because Khaled was going too fast, thanks again for breaking it down, amazing dedication!!!

Anonymous said...

Hi,

Great job dude. I am NagaRaju.
First Time, when i heard this song in the year 1995, i did not understand any thing except "didi". But i understood the meaning of every word and line. Now enjoying singing along with khaled's didi mp3.

Thank you very much. I found this lyric meaning with difficulties after searching one hour in google....

Thanks,
Raj

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this translation! I love this song. Now I know what he is singing. Greetings from Canada.

Anonymous said...

thnx fr the meanings...:)

Anonymous said...

Thanks ted. I seraching the meaning of song & you have fulfilled it. thanks once again

Anonymous said...

Thanks a lot. Was looking for this for a long time.

Tapti, India

Anonymous said...

Rfad whot ya mould taxi :that's what he's saying. Take me everywhereere taxi driver it doesn't matter. I want just to c her