Omar Abdallat: Deer Balak Ablaadak

When I was in Jordan I took taxis wherever I went.  They're really cheap compared to taxis in the US and they're everywhere.  I don't see the need to own a car if you live in Amman.  Anyway, sometimes the taxi drivers would have music playing and if I told them I was learning Arabic they would always try to test me by asking me what the song playing on the radio was saying.  Usually I could only pick out words and phrases, especially if the song was Jordanian.  Lebanese and Egyptian songs I can understand without too much trouble, but Jordanian, Gulf, and Iraqi songs I have trouble with, especially if they are poetic songs with a real meaning.  Pop songs are pretty simple most of the time.  I don't feel very discouraged by finding songs difficult to understand though.  I can rarely understand what songs in English are saying the first time I listen to them.  Songs put emphasis on strange syllables and lengthen and shorten words in order to go with the rhythm of the song which makes understanding everything difficult even for native speakers of the language. 

Here is one of my (now) favorite songs that I heard in a taxi in Amman.  It's sung by Omar Abdallat (عمر عبداللات) who specializes in singing songs about Jordan, things like the police, the cities, Bedouins, King Abdullah, and basically anything praising the country.  The song is called Deer Balak Ablaadak (دير بالك ع بلادك) and means something like "look out for your country."  The song is very bagpipe heavy like a lot of the national music in Jordan.  I found that rather strange but I guess it's a relic from the British mandate there.  When you go to the Roman ruins around the country there are usually a few people playing bagpipes for tips.  The lyrics are posted below the song.  Enjoy!



حيو سيدنا حيوه الأردن ما في زيو
دير بالك عبــــلادك بـالعلالي خليها
زي ما بتحب ولادك جـواة عيونك خبيها

قولوا الله قولوا الله
ألاردن حلو يا ماشاالله

يا عماني ويا زرقاوي ويا معاني ويا بلقاوي
يا عقباوي ويا ربداوي ويا كركي ويا ماداباوي
يا طفيلي ويا عجلوني ويا جرشي ويا مفرقاوي


أردنية هاشمية مملكتنا هية هية
هية الحب وهية الخير ودير بالك عليها


هالله هالله يا محلاك هالله هالله والله روحي فداك

اردني وراسي عالي وبالعلالي عليناه وعاللالي ولالي ولالي وعليناه

اهواه وافداه سبحان اللي سواه

هو عشقي هو دمي وروحي ونبضي وقلبي وهمي

هو ابويه هو امي وخيي وجدي وخالي وعمي كبار صغار

احرار انغار

وهاي الاردن اغلى دار اهواه وافداه عشقي نبض قلبي دمي روحي معاه

اردن يا حبيب القلب مهما الدرب يوديني

لو لفينا شرق وغرب غيرك ما يملى عيني

قولوا الله قولوا الله
ألاردن حلو يا ماشاالله


يا عماني ويا زرقاوي ويا معاني ويا بلقاوي
يا عقباوي ويا ربداوي ويا كركي ويا ماداباوي
يا طفيلي ويا عجلوني ويا جرشي ويا مفرقاوي


أردنية هاشمية مملكتنا هية هية

هية الحب وهية الخير ودير بالك عليها

حيو سيدنا حيوه الأردن ما في زيو


Vocab List:

• زي ما بتحب اولادك (zay ma bitheb awladak) - like you love your children
• جواة عيونك خبيها (joowaat ayoonak khabiiha) - inside your eyes hide it (Jordan)
• لو لفينا شرق و غرب (low leffeyna sharq oo garb) - if we turned (searched) east and west
• غيرك ما يملى عيني (gheyrak ma yamla aini) - (no one) else but you fills my eye