Tuesday

This guy really wants a visa!

This guy Alaa Wardi (علاء وردي) wrote this song about being bored in Saudi Arabia and wanting to leave but not being able to get a visa. It's pretty funny. And no offense to anyone from Saudi Arabia. I wrote out the lyrics, translation, and some explanations. He's singing in Jordanian dialect.




انا علاء وردي قاعد بالسعودية
باكل بشرب بنام و عالفيسبوك بسهر (الله يلعن هالفيسبوك)
من كثر ما انا قرفان كتبت هالاغنية
كمان 8 اغاني زيها و كبيتهن بالزبالة


I am Alaa Wardi here in Saudi Arabia
I eat, I drink, I sleep and I stay up all night on Facebook. (God curse this Facebook.)
Because I'm so bored I wrote this song.
And 8 other songs like it that I threw in the trash.

- The word قاعد literally means "sitting", but in Jordanian, Iraqi, and Saudi dialects it isn't used to always literally mean sitting down. For example, انت قاعد تشرب؟ doesn't mean "you're sitting down drinking?". It really just means, "you're having a drink?". قاعد is thrown in in various places. So, he doesn't literally mean he's sitting in Saudi Arabia. He just means he's there.

- The word بسهر (bashar) has 2 meanings. It can mean "to stay up late" or "to be partying at night", like a "soiree". The word has both of those connotations. Here he means that he stays up all night on Facebook. Also he is sarcastically saying that he "parties" on Facebook.

- قرفان is "bored".

- To كب something in the trash (زبالة) means "to throw it in the trash".


يا شباب انقذوني
يا شباب طلعولي فيزا
يا شباب حلقولي شعري
و قبل ما انجن


Guys, save me.
Guys, send me a visa.
Guys, they cut my hair.
Before I go insane.


صارلي 9 شهور قاعد بالرياض
و مش شايفلي بنت من زمان
كان بدي روح على كندا بس ما طلعلي فيزا
قاللي روح ايراني معفن قلتإله (كس اختك
)

I've been here in Riyad for 9 months.
I haven't seen a girl in a long time.
I wanted to go to Canada but they didn't give me a visa.
He told me, "Get out of here you stinking Iranian." I told him, "Go fuck yourself."

- من زمان - "for a long time"


يا شباب انقذوني
يا شباب طلعولي فيزا
يا شباب النجدة النجدة
و قبل ما انجن
انجن!



وصلت الفكرة

Guys, save me.
Guys, send me a visa.
Guys, help, help.
Before I go insane.

You get the idea.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ha. Nice. Two points however:

Gaa`id/Aa`id with the meaning you've specified works with the Northern Levantine (Syrian/Lebanese) dialects as well.

And concerning his hair, he's lamenting that they forcibly cut his off in Saudi. So the line actually is 'Ya shabaab, they cut off my hair!'

Anonymous said...

First time I encounter "من كثر ما", which listening to the song seems to be pronounced "min kutr ma". Is it specific to Jordanian dialect or is it also used in other dialects/MSA? It seems strange to me because the root "كثر " is normally related to the idea of quantity, nothing to do with cause/effect.

The Arabic Student said...

Anonymous1, how would someone say imperatively "cut off my hair" then?

I was debating between which one to put because it seems that حلقولي شعري could mean either "they cut off my hair" or imperatively "cut off my hair!"

Anonymous2, yes, that's how it's pronounced. I translated it as "because I'm so bored", but if you want to understand من كثر ما better you could break it down as "from the large amount that I am bored". How that helps.

Anonymous said...

Oh I get it, that makes sense! Thanks Arabic Student!

The Arabic Student said...

Anonymous1, I noticed that Memri TV translated it as, "Oh people, cut my hair before I go crazy." I guess it's all based on the context as to which way to translate it.

Do they forcibly cut people's hair in Saudi Arabia?

Anonymous said...

Arabic Student, I am not "Anonymous 1" but my guess is that if it were an order there would be an alif in front of the verb since it's a type 1 verb. Like "open the door" ==> "ifta7u al bab", not "fta7u al bab". I think in Levantine dialect this opening alif for type 1 verbs is maintained (not the case in Moroccan Arabic for example). Besides it seems to make more sense in this context!

The Arabic Student said...

The thing is, if طلعو is imperative talking to a group of people then it makes sense that حلقو would be imperative as well.

Anonymous said...

Hello again Arabic Student. It's Anonymous 1 again. Your key indicator here is the two fat'Has in the first two syllables. Ergo, Halagouli is a past-tense verb. From my perspective as a Northern Levantine speaker, the alif of a type-1 verb may be dropped* (and perhaps more often than not is) with imperatives, although with the singular imperative, this is compensated by lengthening the fatHa into an alif in a verb like 'open' ('ftaaH il-baab'/'iftaH il-baab). For the plural imperative of 'shave', we would say 'ehel'ouli sha`ri'. If the Jordanians are able to drop the fatHa, you would have the sukoun on the Haa, so I would imagine them saying it Hlegouli sha`ri. But once more, the segment 'Hala' with the two fatHas should give the verb away as not being an imperative. I hope this helps.

As for the meaning, I would guess that given the morality police in the country, looking a little like a dishevelled punk with longer hair might not be taken to quite well. The irony then would be that the Bedouins have traditionally worn long hair.

*I wonder whether on the phonological level nevertheless there still exists for us here an alif with a silent hamzet-waSil.

The Arabic Student said...

So just to confirm that I understand, you're saying that since it starts with hala instead of hla then it's past tense?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 1 to Anonymous 2, yes, 'min kutur maa' exists in other dialects like Northern Levantine. The best way to translate it in English perhaps would be 'given how much'.

Arabic Student, also for T-L-`, the vowels here will help you distinguish between indicative and imperative moods. Past tense: Til`u. Imperative: (i)Tla`u

Anonymous said...

Arabic Student, almost. The imperative would be either 'eHel' or 'Hle'. The imperative does not even have one fatHa.

Samer said...

Arabic student, here are some amusing comments on the video that should confirm what I've said about the poor man's untimely meeting with some fiendish razor. I'm leaving my name this time round (may I have yours?).

حلقولي شعري هههههههههه انا من السعوديه ومتضامن معك

معليش معليش خلينا نشوف الجانب الايجابي: اتوقع الشعر القصير احلى عليك

ههههههه حلقو لك شعرك يا علاء

مشكله والله ما اعرف ليش في مشكلة بتطويل الشعر رغم انه لاحرام ولا حلال ؟؟؟

سوال مين الي حلق لك شعرك؟؟؟؟؟؟؟

ومن حلقلك شعرك يا عسل دا الكلام لما كنتوا في المدرسة بس دحين خلاص محد يحلق شعر احد وي!!!؟

أنا كنت في السعودية (القصيم) وحلقولي شعري بردو بأول يوم من إجازة الصيف (يعني خربت الإجازة)

نريد كمان اغاني للمتخلفيين ومن اجل حلق الشعر ممنوع في السعودية تطول شعرك والا سوف تحلقه لك الشرطة الدينيةومن اجل البنات فأنا متاكد انك في الاردن الان وترى ما تشاء ;)

Anonymous said...

I'm pretty sure he's singing in Saudi accent, not Jordanian.

shaheen said...

what does he say at the end of the video? is he asking "what do you think" about the song? thanks

Kathy said...

Hi there just wanted to say I found your blog through a You tube video you did on Hello --will definately be watching more videos -I have only been taking arabic 16 weeks and appreciate your easy relaxed and funny teaching of the arabic language
Thanks so much

Anonymous said...

Wow yet another use for طلع .. to send? Jordanains don't say Mush they say Mish :) And it was weird he said fa2utilu instead of fagutilu x_x

wasalat fikra means I've got an idea [and idea has arrived] right?

nice blog

Anonymous said...

Anyone understand what "his fikra" is at the end? To write the song? Some way of escaping from Saudi Arabia that he doesn't reveal?

The Arabic Student said...

When he says وصلت الفكرة at the end it's something like "you get the point". It's literally "the idea has arrived".

Here's another example of the usage of this phrase. There's a debate show called الإتجاه المعاكس and when the mediator wants one of the 2 debators to stop talking (because he's started to just ramble on and say the same things he has already said), the mediator will say وصلت الفكرة , meaning, "we get the idea" or "you've made your point".

Anonymous said...

Haha, great video. I look forward to more of your blogs.

Anonymous said...

I see Arabic Student, I was thinking "wasalat al fikra" meant "something just occurred to me". Thanks for clearing that up!

Anonymous said...

Nice work!!

but it is not قلب its قبل

Thanks for your working and keeps up :D

The Arabic Student said...

Thanks! Fixed the typo.

Anonymous said...

I was under the impression that كس اختك meant 'Your sister's vagina!' not 'Go fuck yourself'...am I mistaken, Arabic Student? Being as it's a phrase I use regularly, thank-you in advance for your timely feedback...

The Arabic Student said...

Yes, it literally means, "your sisters vagina."

فواز said...

This is what I hear:
طَلِّعُوا
كان بدي *اروح* على
(I think he does pronounce an Alif there)
Btw, he's half Iranian half saudi and grew up in Jordan, which helps explaining the dialect and part about "Irani m3afen".

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the vaginal clarification, Arabic Student. Much appreciated.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.