SyrianamericanA
by Omar Offendum
1. |
Damascus
04:22
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2. |
Destiny
03:34
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3. |
Hustle On
04:03
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4. |
DC Guide
03:39
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5. |
Straight Street
04:18
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6. |
Majnoon Layla
03:54
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7. |
Superhero
03:10
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8. |
Father's Day
04:12
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10. |
Mother's Day
03:51
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11. |
Finjan
04:00
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12. |
New Orient
03:52
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13. |
SyrianamericanA
04:16
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about
A Nation-State-of-Mind ... Where Everything is Connected & Everyone is Welcome!
CD Available @ www.cdbaby.com/cd/OmarOffendum
CD Available @ www.cdbaby.com/cd/OmarOffendum
credits
released 04 July 2010
All Lyrics Written & Recorded by Omar Offendum
Copyright © Cosher Ink, LLC
Tracks 1, 6-9, & 11 produced by Sandhill
Mixed by Sandhill & DJ Xcape
Track 2 produced by Da Sole
Mixed by The Narcicyst
Track 3 produced by Cess Less
Mixed by The Narcicyst
Tracks 4 & 5 produced by Oddisee
Mixed by Sami Matar
Tracks 10 & 12 produced by Omar Offendum
Mixed by The Narcicyst & Sami Matar
Track 13 produced by Eddie Logix
Saxophone by Mista Cookie Jar
Mixed by Sami Matar
All tracks mastered by Sami Matar | Advent MP Studios
All Lyrics Written & Recorded by Omar Offendum
Copyright © Cosher Ink, LLC
Tracks 1, 6-9, & 11 produced by Sandhill
Mixed by Sandhill & DJ Xcape
Track 2 produced by Da Sole
Mixed by The Narcicyst
Track 3 produced by Cess Less
Mixed by The Narcicyst
Tracks 4 & 5 produced by Oddisee
Mixed by Sami Matar
Tracks 10 & 12 produced by Omar Offendum
Mixed by The Narcicyst & Sami Matar
Track 13 produced by Eddie Logix
Saxophone by Mista Cookie Jar
Mixed by Sami Matar
All tracks mastered by Sami Matar | Advent MP Studios
tags
license
all rights reserved
feeds
feeds for 
- Track Name: Damascus
-
Chorus:
Arabic recitation of the first couplets from Nizar Qabbani’s “Damascene Poem”
هذي دمشقُ.. وهذي الكأسُ والرّاحُ
إنّي أحبُّ... وبعـضُ الحـبِّ ذبّاحُ
Verse 1:
This is Damascus
& this is a glass of spirit (comfort)
i love - but im aware of the fact that
certain kinds of love
can slaughter you in their wrath
I'm a Damascene being dissect me into halves
& have not but grapes & apples fall in your path
open my veins with scalpels
hear ancestral chants
if heart - transplants can
cure some of the passionate
why does mine stay torn in half then?
minarets cryin tears of absence
and like trees their souls speak
years have passed them
(you can hear them askin)
for civil rights to live amongst
tiers of jasmine
as house cats take naps - relaxin
"Es la cosa mas triste de este mundo
Y asÌ me siento yo por ti solo por ti"
(and this is how i feel for you)
Chorus:
Arabic recitation of the first couplets from Nizar Qabbani’s “Damascene Poem”
هذي دمشقُ.. وهذي الكأسُ والرّاحُ
إنّي أحبُّ... وبعـضُ الحـبِّ ذبّاحُ
Verse 2:
coffee grinders cracklin
childhood reminders - back when
how can i forget?
when my reaction...
to cardemom's strong fragrance
yet & still finds attraction
as proud fathers wait
for a sweet daughter's face
im askin...
if my roots - heart - & language are here
how am i supposed to make myself
any more clear?
is clarification necessary
with love so dear?
(so much so that there was no fear...)
how many damascene bracelets were
sold for this poetry here?
apologizin to the willow
wonderin' if my little siblings can hear
my parts been scattered across coasts for years
lanterns on horizons (floatin...
saddened eyes had lost their hopes to see her...)
"Es la cosa mas triste de este mundo
Y asÌ me siento yo por ti solo por ti"
(and this is how i feel for you)
Chorus:
Arabic recitation of the first couplets from Nizar Qabbani’s “Damascene Poem”
هذي دمشقُ.. وهذي الكأسُ والرّاحُ
إنّي أحبُّ... وبعـضُ الحـبِّ ذبّاحُ
Verse 3:
tossed around in shoreless oceans
only to be hunted down by devils & demonic ghosts
i battle garbage rap with prose & (rapid) flows
thats apropos until nawar is open to em
(thats fa sho!)
identity of Arabness resemblin a widow though
is there no festivus for the rest of us history books can show?
what will remain of poetry's originality if so
many a brown-nosing liar gets to have complete control?
how we gonna ever write a verse to spit
when killers still approach?
i bore the burden of my words upon my back until i grieved...
what shall remain of poetry when it is finally relieved?
(the saddest thing in this world - my lady's - is knowin that we
were meant to be from the very start but that we'll never be...)
"Es la cosa mas triste de este mundo
Y asÌ me siento yo por ti solo por ti"
(& this is how i feel for you)
Chorus:
Arabic recitation of the first couplets from Nizar Qabbani’s “Damascene Poem”
هذي دمشقُ.. وهذي الكأسُ والرّاحُ
إنّي أحبُّ... وبعـضُ الحـبِّ ذبّاحُ - Track Name: Destiny
-
Chorus:
You are my ...
(Destiny)
its hard livin in the West - when I know the East got the best of me ...
(Destiny)
could be lookin in my eyes - but you'll never really see the rest of me ...
(Destiny)
can you hear me "maseeri" (my destiny)? ... bi-lingual's what im blessed to be ...
(Destiny)
7amamet Salameh - ifta7ee ajni7atikee oo 6eeree
(dove of Peace - spread your wings & fly)
Verse 1:
وين الوعي - وين؟
امشوا معي هين
وادي بين الجبلين
عين حب للطرفين
أمهاتنا حبت ذاتنا
بس مو عاجبهن مسباتنا
هذا الحكي بين اخواتنا
زين العرب والأمريكان
وألله يرحم كل أمواتنا
أغاني
'مثل 'المهاتمة
إذا قلنا: العين بالعين
ما صفى عندنا عيون بالشام
بلاد الشام
من فلسطين إلى جبال لبنان
قبل ما اخترعوا الحدود
من الإسكندرون إلى كردستان
فهمان؟
جنجس خان ما خان قد ما خانونا أولاد العم
بس دمنا دمهم . . .
بني أدم - بنو ذنمبهم
على أكتافنا - شلنا همهم
ليه؟
الله بيعلم . . .
بس ليك هذا الفتيش والبسكليت
احسنلك من ١٠٠٬٠٠٠٬٠٠٠ مسدس
تعرف ليه؟
لأن مو عاجبهم بسمتك
بس إبتسم برسمتك
شابٌ عربيٌ ومثقف
أعطيهم ختمتك
وإذا لسة مو راضين
(ذكرهم بكلام ' إيليية (أبي ماضي
' نسي الطين ساعةً أنه طين '
وهذه هي . . .
القضاء والقدر يا حبيبي
(English translation)
Consciousness? What consciousness - where is it?
Take a walk with me
Here - in this valley between two "mountains"
where the source of love for both "sides" can be found
our mothers like us - but dont like our foul language
so lets keep this between the siblings
the best of Arabs & Americans
and may God have mercy on all our dead
Songs i sing like the Mahatma ("aghani-d" means these songs ... which sounds like Ghandi & in turn relates to the next quote)
If we say 'an eye for an eye'
there wont be any eyes left in Sham
Bilad al-Sham (i.e. greater syria ... since "Sham" refers to Damascus ... but "bilad al-sham" means Greater Syria ... the distinction is made for the sake of unity across borders)
from Palestine to the mountains of Lebanon
before they made up these borders
from Iskandaroon to Kurdistan - understand?
Genghis Khan never deceived us quite like our "paternal cousins" (Khan also means deceive in arabic)
but our blood is their blood
children of Adam
who built their sins
upon our shoulders
we carried their burden
why?
God knows
but listen, this little firecracker & bicycle are better for you than 100 million guns - wanna know why?
because they dont like seeing you smile
but smile you will - in your human being
a young cultured/educated Arab male - give them your stamp of approval
and if they still dont accept you then remind them of the words of Elliye (Elliye Abi-Madhee is a famous Lebanese poet who wrote a poem that started with the following words)
"How soon a piece of dirt can forget that that is all he/she really is ... just dirt" (i.e. we are all from this earth & will come back to it ... so there is no logic in viewing yourself as better than someone else)
and that my friend is ...
our Destiny
Chorus:
You are my ...
(Destiny)
its hard livin in the West - when I know the East got the best of me ...
(Destiny)
could be lookin in my eyes - but you'll never really see the rest of me ...
(Destiny)
can you hear me "maseeri" (my destiny)? ... bi-lingual's what im blessed to be ...
(Destiny)
7amamet Salameh - ifta7ee ajni7atikee oo 6eeree
(dove of Peace - spread your wings & fly)
Verse 2:
i write right to left ...
you write left to right ...
metaphor of a foreigner's plight...
dressed to type...
stereo & a mic...
scenario of a fight...
the burial of a white...
imperial at his height's...
a Turkish Rapper's Delight
semetic etiquette might
just have you rollin your "R's"
poetic & light
and grab a hold of your sorrows
to relieve your tomorrows
make it easier to borrow
the aesthetics you bite
like all the Arabic loanwords
from Spaniards & Morros
the Karma of Inquisition
visions of horror
so who's the Explorer?
really was it Columbus?
Muhammad al-Idrisi or Alfaragnus
throw a Hobson Jobson
while you figure it out
im gonna start with a cipher
thats a "siffir" (zero) - no doubt
see you might not have learned to live with me
but sure as hell can't without
Chorus:
You are my ...
(Destiny)
its hard livin in the West - when I know the East got the best of me ...
(Destiny)
could be lookin in my eyes - but you'll never really see the rest of me ...
(Destiny)
can you hear me "maseeri" (my destiny)? ... bi-lingual's what im blessed to be ...
(Destiny)
7amamet Salameh - ifta7ee ajni7atikee oo 6eeree
(dove of Peace - spread your wings & fly)
Verse 3:
see 3arab shootin at each other
from iraq to falasteen
syria to libnan...algeria to sudan
pedagogy of the oppressed, tricklin' down...
conquerin' through divisions
& sadly this isn't the first time...
one land - one love - one chance - one blood
no fuss, no fight...yeah right young blood
AK's cheaper than a book
crooked leaders in a hook
gettin' fished out
missles gettin' dished out...
bitched out by the West
press get a big shout
from the people gettin' rich out of this (bout)...
now what's this really all about...
land - money - or power?
it was the colonizer's fault
but now it's really just ours...
leavin' a sour tase in our mouths...
like generational slave names
whenever speakin out
out-spoken leaders gettin taken out
quicker than belligerent drunks in a bar...
we a far cry from livin' as one... - Track Name: Hustle On
-
Chorus:
I got my - I got my sweet-water hustle on!!!
(All Day)
I got my - I got my rosewater hustle on!!!
(Always)
I got my - I got my pomegranate hustle on!!!
(Hustle Onnnn!!!)
I got my - I got my tamarindo my hustle on!!!
(Yaoooo)
The saint of (This aint a) sham my boy
(NOOO)
No one can break it down like i can my boy
(OHHH)
Here - watch hold my camera boy
(GOOO)
I do the hustle like im Van McCoy
(WHOA...)
you know the feelin every man's enjoyed
(SHO)
i make an honest livin with my hands - employed
(DOUGH)
so yes i am annoyed …
go get ya hustle on or can the noise
(shhhhhhh)
Verse 1:
now i could sell a
bedouin a sandcastle
with my hands shackled
convince 'em its a glass palace
when its ramshackle
think twice - fixed price
when ya can't haggle
thick slice sit like
brisk nights in the panhandle
sweet tea
competition greets me
tryin to flip a cheap fee
b/c they know they gettin manhandled
(hey...)
you Willy Lowman's need to know when
it's time to cut your losses
go ahead - punch your bosses
thats word to MrTibbz
I serve 'em till they nauseous
like Woody Boyd
witty pretty boy with the Narcicyst
stick to the script quick
sale dont tempt me
long-term growth's
when the fares grow plenty
see they can claim to have a ton
& barely have twenty
concede its (can see it as) half full
when its clearly half-empty
now put your cups up & flex that muscle long
remember that offendum said to go on & git that HUSTLE ON!!!
Chrous:
I got my - I got my sweet-water hustle on!!!
(All Day)
I got my - I got my rosewater hustle on!!!
(Always)
I got my - I got my pomegranate hustle on!!!
(Hustle Onnnn!!!)
I got my - I got my tamarindo my hustle on!!!
I got my - I got my sweet-water hustle on!!!
(All Day)
I got my - I got my rosewater hustle on!!!
(Always)
I got my - I got my liqorish (3rq soos) hustle on!!!
(Hustle Onnnn!!!)
I got my - I got a Hibiscus hustle on!!!
(Yaoooo)
The saint of (This aint a) sham my boy
(NOOO)
No one can make it sound like i can my boy
(OHHH)
Now this is how its goin down my boy
(GOOO)
I do the hustle like im Van McCoy
(WHOA...)
you know the feelin every man's enjoyed
(SHO)
i make an honest livin with my hands - employed
(DOUGH)
so yes i am annoyed
go get ya hustle on or can the noise
(shhhhhhh)
Verse 2:
and no you can't knock it
with any reasonable doubt
the #1 pusha
easin it out
pourin my sugarwater pitcher
picture pleasin ya mouth
but put'chya payment in my palm
dont go leavin without
my keys & pound/spout
with interest in me
livin without
the riba no doubt
with reason i could
freeze an account
optimize streamline
monopolize - truth
even it out
the cost of lies - proof
believer devout
prophecise who?
im just tryina cop a fly soof
what can i do?
peddlar of a funkdafied brew
customized to
deliver the dollars in response to
the customers a' hollerin behind you
now mind you
the market may take dips
with bread chips like fondu
& target your pensions
with a penchant to starve you
so git ya hustle on before you go & try to argue
this a sample homey i aint gonna charge you - Track Name: DC Guide
-
ONE TIME - for the D . C
TWO TIMES - for the whole' MD
THREE TIMES - for the Northern V ... A
Where u Rep? - DMV ALL DAYYY
Verse 2:
I used to run around Tysons on some D M C
Till I got my own license at the D M V
Started to hit the city nightly on the G DUB P
Thats the Parkwayyy
We called it the "Sparkwayyy"
Me & T
Had dreams of blowin up like T N T
The Beltway Bombers promisin to pay homage
red yellow blue green orange line delay on it
Marvin Gaye - Kwame Toure' - still gettin taxed w/ no say on it
let freedom ring like Curtis Doyle - i need a ring
tone rapper to realize im a grown rapper
showin these yappers & whipper snappers ill be the king
ruling the world & not blowin it like when Kurtis sings
the breaks & blues - big band rhythms & swing
Duke Ellington's U street
Cherry Blossoms in Spring
REDSKINS - CAPITALS
WIZARDS - NATIONALS
DC's for Da Capitol
These are a few of my favorite things!
Chorus:
I got that DC pride
Movin w a swagger - that's my DC stride
Take em through the streets - like a DC guide
Maryland n Virgina - yeah we DC wide
Riiiight ... ?
This that DC pride
Glidin thru the city on a DC high
the free world capital - this DC ma
Make & Break (the) rules - thats what DC liiiike
haaa ... !
Verse 2:
We in this District of Columbia - city of imperfections
Where homeless people sleep beneath the monument's erections
The type of place decisions made by which you be effected
where Mayors caught smokin a rock can still get re-elected
really eclectic
murder cap - not to be effed with
Washington Bullets flyin
like Rod Strickland in red fits
entries & exits
to the politickers a nexus
we welcomin Obama but Bush was better in Texas
federal inspectors
lobbyists - generals - sexists
abmassadors & metro passengers
carry protection
in every direction
NORTH - SOUTH - EAST to the WEST END
cemetary where my pop's restin
the cops dressed in
blue & black
leavin brothers black & blue
evidence markers numbered like the street signs too
14th - 16th - 18th on through
three stars - two stripes - red & white
thanks to you I got that …
Chorus:
I got that DC pride
Movin w a swagger - that's my DC stride
Take em through the streets - like a DC guide
Maryland n Virgina - yeah we DC wide
Riiiight ... ?
This that DC pride
Glidin thru the city on a DC high
the free world capital - this DC ma
Make & Break (the) rules - thats what DC liiiike
haaa ... !
Yeah – shout-outs to the whole DMV Area … for those who don’t know that’s DC – Maryland & Virginia … Northern VA to be exact … Anybody reppin a 202 – 301 – 703 – 240 – or a 571 … You know what I’m talkin about … If you sittin bumper to bumper in rush hour traffic on the beltway – 395 – route 1 – 66 – 270 … then you know what I’m talking about … If you grew up listening to Donnie Simpson - Russ Par – Olivia Foxx – Dianne Rehm – or Kojo Namdi … You know what I’m talking about … and if you in the clubs on 18th St – M St – Adams Morgan – and you can’t wait to hit up Ben’s Chilli Bowl after hours for a half-smoke … then you damn sure know what I’m talking about!
Outro Hook x 4:
It’s taxation without representation
But now its time to represent
Represent – what! - Track Name: Straight Street
-
Chorus:
it's just what we call fate
llivin on a Street Called Straight
it's just what we call fate
llivin on a Street Called Straight
Verse 1:
i took a stroll down the straight called str8
met a medicine man about 1/3 of the way
predecessor to the pusherman
with somethin to say
about an apple a day
keepin the sickness away
i valued his advice at face
at first
till he enlightened me to how precise nature worked
givin us citrus fruits in winter time for vitamin c
just met each other but im already invited for tea
(sub7an allah)
as fate would have it
he & i turned out to be related
a small world's even smaller when you're arab - aint it?
made it a point to soak in all his information
bout regenerative meditations
& preventitive medication
like a modern Ibn Sina
with a pretty calm demeanor
& a remedy for everything
that plagued the arab nations
yet when asked of how to cope with our impossible fate
he just said follow the middle path
to a Street Called Straight
Chorus:
it's just what we call fate
llivin on a Street Called Straight
it's just what we call fate
llivin on a Street Called Straight
it's just what we call fate
llivin on a Street Called Straight
that's where we cease all hate
& pray to 3ish peace all day
Verse 2:
i took a stroll down the street called str8
met a spiritual teacher about 2/3 of the way
predecessor to the preacherman
with somethin to say
about a prayer a day
keepin the satan's at bey
he spoke of angels on our shoulders
and the angles of our solar
systematic self-destruction
metaphysical corruption
with a danger to our polar
ice caps
till it's out of our control
& in the hands of our beholder
we philosophized for over
20 minutes like that
taught me lessons
any questions he would
give em right back
said the answers were within us
& i didnt like that
but i realized later why he did it like that
i had so much more to learn
clock was ticking - couldnt stall
committed his words to my memory
his wisdom was enthrallin
yet when askin him what was the most important to recall
he just said follow the middle path
Straight Street & that is all
Chorus:
it's just what we call fate
llivin on a Street Called Straight
it's just what we call fate
llivin on a Street Called Straight
it's just what we call fate
llivin on a Street Called Straight
that's where we cease all hate
& pray to 3ish peace all day
Verse 3:
i took a stroll down the street called str8
met a carpenter hard at work at the end of the way
predecessor to the architect with somethin to say
about not doin tomorrow
what should be finished today
he manipulated wood & metal till it followed function
building all through Via Recta
& Cardo Maximus junction
somethin told me he was wise beyond his years
i had a feelin
from the way that he'd exposed the beams
& ornamented ceilings
with an ambidextrous half
nonchalantly jest & laugh
sayin that my western education
made it hard to grasp
his connection to the past
deep-rooted in his craft
but was more than willing to share with me
the tools he knew i lacked
and for that i would be grateful
learnin how to build the monumental for the playful
& the humble for the faithful
yet when asked of how we'd stack against our impossible odds
he just said follow the middle path
Straight Street to the Gods
Chorus:
it's just what we call fate
llivin on a Street Called Straight
it's just what we call fate
llivin on a Street Called Straight
it's just what we call fate
llivin on a Street Called Straight
that's where we cease all hate
& pray to 3ish peace all day - Track Name: Majnoon Layla
-
Verse 1:
Back in school was when we'd first got acquainted
Crossed paths - nearly fainted
When you told me that your name was
Layla
Hair darker than the night's sky
waylak!
Majnoon what a crazy tale
I too often poeticized your eyes
To every passer by
Till it came back to haunt me
As your dad denied
Your hand in mine ñ marriage I was sad to find
Wasnt written for us in the grand design
Set out for Mecca on Hajj
As I was really on Edge
But no matter how hard I tried
I couldnt sever our ties
I pledged to your heart
That we would never be apart
As children
But your father had other plans
To find you another man
Until then
You were on house arrest
Sealed in
And I couldnt bare the pain
Crying a tear’s refrain
Insane
Praying that Id be killed then
I skipped town shameful
Wondering what our world came to
Chorus:
The remorse of Old ways
Divorced of Old times
The source of Old prose and…
(It Blows My Miiiiiind)
Just how strong the memories remain
In a reverie of pain
Insane - Im not fine...
Im yours, however distant you may be!
Intertwined - forever reminded you’re my lady
(It Blows My Miiiiiind)
There blows no wind but wafts your scent
And sings no bird but calls your name
Star-crossed Lament
Verse 2:
Wandering through the wilderness
Agony filled & lonely
Pondering how I failed
Knowing nobody could console me
Only the homey Nawfal
Had cared enough to explore
Yet when he couldnt succeed
He just took your daddy to war
And demanded we be united
But as your clan was defeated
The same excuse as before is what
Your father slowly repeated
I’d ruined your reputation
With all of my proclamations
He’d rather kill you than see us together
A complication to say the least
I conceded
To the desert retreated
Wrote a rhyme in the sand for you
Praying that you could read it
Time passed & eventually you would come to be greeted
By many a suitor
Intent on sweeping you off your feet - When it happened
Couldn’t believe it
You were somebody’s wife?
Was it really my fate to live such a pitiful life?
The aches cut like a knife as my miserable heart burned
To all that trouble & strife ñ I vowed to never return
A lesson learned
Chorus:
The remorse of Old ways
Divorced of Old times
The source of Old prose and…
(It Blows My Miiiiiind)
Just how strong the memories remain
In a reverie of pain
Insane - Im not fine...
Im yours, however distant you may be!
Intertwined - forever reminded you’re my lady
(It Blows My Miiiiiind)
There blows no wind but wafts your scent
And sings no bird but calls your name
Star-crossed Lament
Verse 3:
Brainsick they would call me
Demented smitten & mad
And this took a toll on Baba’s health
Whoa it was getting bad
See I was his only son
And so I was all that he had
He died of a broken heart
I knew that it made you sad
You sent me a note condoling me
Said you were thinking of me
Then when my mother passed
You had even said you still loved me
Given that bitter absences made our hearts fonder
I had to come back to see ñ I couldn’t take it much longer
However the irony was your husband would die too
Therefore our traditions stated I would be without you
For not one - but two
Years to be left grieving
Naive - in a spider love (& in spite of)
Was this tangled web we were weaving
My Karma just getting even
For living life depraved?
Why was it such a sin to have given all that I gave?
For now I lie at your grave
And I’m ready to die a whaler
Thus ends the tale of
Majnoon Layla
Chorus:
The remorse of Old ways
Divorced of Old times
The source of Old prose and…
(It Blows My Miiiiiind)
Just how strong the memories remain
In a reverie of pain
Insane - Im not fine...
Im yours, however distant you may be!
Intertwined - forever reminded you’re my lady
(It Blows My Miiiiiind)
There blows no wind but wafts your scent
And sings no bird but calls your name
Star-crossed Lament - Track Name: Superhero
-
Chorus:
Look Up In The Sky - Its A Bird - Its A Plane
Its An Arab Superhero & He Came to Bring Change
Unite The Divided & Free 'Em From The Chains
Of The Tyrants Who Reign in Vain & Pain
(Hey!)
Look Up In The Sky - Its A Bird - Its A Plane
Its An Arab Superhero - Yeah I know It Sounds Strange
But The Only Thing Keeping Us From Going Insane...
Is Knowing He'll Be Back Again (InshAllah)
Verse 1:
While some men sank in trepidation
& banked on medication
from anxt of separation
this talib got by
& advanced through dedication
enhanced by preparation
& chants of meditation
his cognizance high
the mantra was fly
like bombs in the sky
a constant surprise
this impossible rise
through the ranks
steady walkin the planks
throwing rocks at the tanks
on the blocks of an occupied
middle east bereft
not an olive tree left
seein theft in the keys
to the lock he'd kept
steep steps
on the stairway to peace
he slipped
petroleum made these trips
that much slicker
billy crystalized a citylight's flicker
silly pistols fire a streetfight triggered
other men to fall off their grandstands
still he held his ground like a handstand (damn!)
Chorus:
Look Up In The Sky - Its A Bird - Its A Plane
Its An Arab Superhero & He Came to Bring Change
Unite The Divided & Free 'Em From The Chains
Of The Tyrants Who Reign in Vain & Pain
(Hey!)
Look Up In The Sky - Its A Bird - Its A Plane
Its An Arab Superhero - Yeah I know It Sounds Strange
But The Only Thing Keeping Us From Going Insane...
Is Knowing He'll Be Back Again (InshAllah)
Verse 2:
Amidst military coups
and the critics of his literary views
he's pitted
wary - given very few
alternatives to violence
and yet & still he carries on through
scary obstacles contrary to...
popular belief
he can keep a cool head amongst
grief-stricken war-torn Middle East streets
sticking by the weak mothers of the bleak
futureless populace
confident he speaks (truth)
through the cracked concrete
of urban eruptions
proving that policies of
curbing corruption
further the function
of justice & earning the trust
of a people who've all been flustered
& cant move forward
but still make babies as though its all good
runnin around barefoot - cant afford sandals
huddlin by candles to pray
hey its nothing that a 3arab Superman cant handle
Chorus:
Look Up In The Sky - Its A Bird - Its A Plane
Its An Arab Superhero & He Came to Bring Change
Unite The Divided & Free 'Em From The Chains
Of The Tyrants Who Reign in Vain & Pain
(Hey!)
Look Up In The Sky - Its A Bird - Its A Plane
Its An Arab Superhero - Yeah I know It Sounds Strange
But The Only Thing Keeping Us From Going Insane...
Is Knowing He'll Be Back Again (InshAllah)
Verse 3:
Like a couple bedoin homes I'm too tense (PUN: two tents)
Writin up some relevant songs - I do vent
Waxin poetic on the fact that pathetic
leaders act sympathetic
when we know they ain't sent not
one cent or qirsh of aid to refugees
pot belly kirsh they lay in SUVs
not really skilled - who braves the mess you leave?
what must we say to passover these
developmental disasters are lyin ahead
livin in denial like Egyptian Pyramids
comin to a point where the bubble's gonna burst
& desalinized water will no longer quench our thirst
we need a glass half-full for the youth - shine
an optimistic outlook from the roofline
like bat signals - till the criminals fade away
(hey!) here he comes to save the day … - Track Name: Father's Day
-
Verse 1:
we've grown numb to imagery of death & demise...
blind as st paul till he saw a syrian sky...
miles away...wars preyin on the teariest eyes...
our deaf ears still ain't hearin their cries...
why?
is it even worth askin anymore...
when guilt is but a swinging door...
with crooked men on either side...
cushionin each other's fall...
orphans hidin from a devil w dark wings...
& writers w a conscience feel it pluck at our heartstrings...
but very seldom do we bother to speak...
led to believe we're rendered powerless by fatherless creeps -
bastardized politickin while our daughter's beseech us
to let em flee their borders in peace...
I wonder if these sad scenarios will still remain as commonplace when i'm a father...
wanna face allah without regrets...
i should have tried harder...
quranic verses that we all live & die by...
"ya laytani kuntu turabaa"
Chorus:
i used to wish that allah had taken us both away...
b/c life without u i couldnt stand for one more day...
but now i see that I was in over my head...
& i just pray for your soul instead...
Verse 2:
a generation of our future's parents robbed of their role models...
and bottling the anger in until they explode on a road to a dead end...
paved w empty promises...
told by our head men...
who fold on any armistice...
sellin weapons to finance this...
ever-decadent highness' ...
surpluses & minuses...
as we're stuck in the wryness
of war-torn horizons and forlorn surprises of which border to cover
and if mortars will smother
as if all of the other sh*t that dictators can stick ya with wasn't enough for brothers who live within this conspicuous state...
sore thumbs...
sure crumbs can cure hunger...
but what of the post-traumatic stress
a 3-year-old will undergo in baghdad...
knowin that they bucked dad?
growin up to buck back...
like gimme my change...
sayin (#%@$) that...
its no surprise he never got to hear this from his usra...
"inna - ma3 - al-3usrii - yusra"
Chorus:
i used to wish that allah had taken us both away...
b/c life without u i couldnt stand for one more day...
but now i see that I was in over my head...
& i just pray for your soul instead...
Verse 3:
you keep your eyes on the street
i worry bout whats below it
we're pavin over a mass grave
no markers to show it
the last words of the lad were "biddee 3ish baba" - know it
his Heart of Darkness could Conrad-ical Marxists & poets
missin the mark of heroics
listen & hark to the stoic
yet transcendentalist flow &
be Emmerson & Thoreau at
the same moment & blow it
i blame no-one & grow with
my shame - tiptoing through it
they Sykes-Picoted a hole in our brain
wish i could laugh now
but it wasn't funny
the way they cut up our map
vowin to divy up money
that wasn't theirs to begin with
but our leaders were dimwits
too conceited to see that they couldn't beat them
& win with
little means to defend my people under attack - ta7t
it seems that our end's a scene fadin to black - inma7at
i dream w a pen b/c our reality's all - a7a
dont mean to offend - repent
"qull huwa allah - a7ad"
Chorus:
i used to wish that allah had taken us both away...
b/c life without u i couldnt stand for one more day...
but now i see that I was in over my head...
& i just pray for your soul instead... - Track Name: The Arab Speaks of Rivers
-
أنهار كثيرة عرفتها
أنهار كثيرة أزلية كما العالم عرفتها
أنهار أزلية تدفقت حتى قبل أن يتدفق الدم في شرايين البشر
وروحي ازدادت عمقاً كالأنهار
فأنا بمياه الفرات استحممت حتى قبل انبلاج فجر الحياة
وعلى ضفاف الكونجو بنيت كوخي ...
حيث هللت لي مياهه لأغفو...
من دلتا النيل العالي أشرفت... وشيدت الأهرامات العظيمة
وإلى شدو المسيسيبي استمعت ... حين مر به لنكولن في دربه إلى نيواورليان
ومع الغروب رأيت أحضانه الطينية تتحول لكتل ذهبية
لقد عرفت أنهاراً وأنهاراً
أنهاراً أزلية معتمة كما الغسق وروحي توغلت في القدم ...
وروحي ازدادت عمقاً كالأنهار - Track Name: Mother's Day
-
Verse 1:
My Fatherless growth...
could have easily meant loss of all hope
but mom was the rope
reeling me in when I couldn't float
For i'd have eloped with dope if she hadn't taught me to cope
opened up my scope of vision overcomin' the 'khawf' (fear)
7izn imprisoned me though...livin' with images so
vivid...witnessin' his visage turn livid in turn did it's
part to turn this disenchanted heart rigid
'imta 7ata3raf imtaaaa?'
(when oh when will you realize?)
My mother's plea steadily echoed in the back of my mind
Beggin' to see the same optimism of when I was 9...
Hard to believe that Omar curly's innocence may have died
but now she tells me with pride...that she sees him in my eyes
and I can only hope that one day I'll live up to the name
His humility and distaste for fortune and fame...
Holdin' me tight night after night saying "7abibi ma tinsa" (don't forget my love)
'innee ba7ibbak inta'
(indeed I love you)
Verse 2:
Knee-deep in "ithm" (sin)
praying it won't reach my neck
Drowning in guilt...stilts needed to catch my breath
This "tawbah's" pathetic, but even still, I'm glad that I said it
'Cause I ain't never been the type to do somethin' and regret it
But Karma's a _____
and this time, I gotta repent
"Ya rub-bee ighfirlee wa li-walidayyah" (Oh Lord forgive me & my parents)
now & again
succumbin' to sin
can happen to the strongest of men
then again
'imta 7ata3raf imtaaaa?'
(when oh when will you realize?)
the Holy Qur'aan's
wisdom & enlightenment spawned
verses for persons on this earth in search of guidance along
with a sense of purpose with respect to what they're worshipping for
sheddin' the nervousness that surfaces when hit with a prob-
lamenting over it ain't soberin' if shoulderin' all
the blame of shameless misbehaving
When the aim of it all is to learn from mistakes
just make sure you're takin' it all
with a grain of salt - before the train of life comes to a halt - Track Name: Finjan
-
Intro (First two couplets from Nizar Qabbani's poem 'Qariat il-Finjan'):
جلست والخوف بعينيها
تتأمل فنجاني المقلوب
قالت يا ولدي لا تحزن
فالحب عليك هو المكتوب
Verse 1:
she sat with fear in both her eyes
ponderin the turkish coffee cup inverted
carefully she worded
destiny & time
now dont you grieve my son
for love is written for you in the signs
martyrdom for he who dies religiously
but love is blind
your coffee-cup is terrifyin
a life of travellin & battlin
a lot of love...a lot of death
a load of pain unravels
as your chasin after every woman on the planet only
to return like a defeated king - lascivious & lonely
Chorus:
if love is free ...
why'd a fortuneteller charge me a fee just to say that?
im free to love ...
but nobody's willing to reciprocate - i guess its payback ...
Verse 2:
in your future is a girl whose eyes alone can make you praise the lord
lips shaped like grapes - beautiful - her laugh is musical
and still the sky above's a gloomy grey that rains & pours
road blocked...dead locked...immutable...a sight unusual
the woman of your dreams sleepin in a palace tower
guarded by both dogs & soldiers - likes of which will make you cower
and the princess of your heart
in a slumber from the start
suitors lost - climbin fences to uproot her...
who'd've thought?
now i've read many palms & horoscopes before but never seen
a coffee-cup resemblin your coffee-cup...i've never seen
sorrows like the sorrows emanating from this demitasse
your destiny's to walk on dagger tips of love so many times...
the solitude of seashells & the weepin willowy wails...
leave you stuck in currents of an oceanic love for females...
the details you will love & lose a million times only
to return like a dethrone'd king - lascivious & lonely
Chorus:
if love is free ...
why'd a fortuneteller charge me a fee just to say that?
im free to love ...
but nobody's willing to reciprocate - i guess its payback ...
Verse 3:
i read between the lines like fortune-tellers with a coffee cup
and i aint talkin bout them frapuccinos with the frothy stuff
our peoples are of equal standing in the eyes of G_d we trust
but we're the ones who shoulder blame when errorism's army busts
im sick of askin why - wanna kick up ash n fly
when a man is rich whether in gold or knowledge he should try
treatin the poverty of other brothers with consideration
knowin that the highest form of flattery is imitation
its another iteration of the same bitter-taste with the same limitations
faint recollections of her face interlaced in
the bars of a jail where there aint visitation
man i hate bein patient - rather be the doctor
diagnose a higher dose of mea culpa - not ya
general hospital scrub in soap or opera
a local wasta connect-the-dot hopeful
qaari'at il-finjan
Outro (Last two couplets from Nizar Qabbani's poem 'Qariat il-Finjan'):
مقدورك أن تمضي أبدا
في بحر الحب بغير قلوع
وتحب ملايين المرات
وترجع كالملك المخلوع - Track Name: New Orient
-
Chorus:
with every dawn i wake...
and every song i make...
through every beat i'm taken
closer to my maker...
don't see no way...
of ever bein' no stray...
with him there will be no wavering...
b/c we know they
gonna try to deceive us
through their lies & mischievous
compromises of jesus' teachings...
it's wrong...but it's on...
a new dawn..a new morning...
a chance for us to just move on . . .
A new orient...
Verse 1:
yeah i'm an optimist and(?)...
i ain't gon' compliment them...
corrupt & kleptocratic addicts of apocalyptin'...
the figure of hate - it fits them...
belligerent traits - their dictum...
the bigger the stakes...
the bigger the chase...
the bigger the bait to get them...
i see the traps of phonies...
a heathen strapped his cronies...
I'm fendin' em off with the pen...
offendum's rappin homey...
Political hacks...
to get at iraq...
they split up the map...toni
sinister minister prime...
in it for infinite spinach & cash only...
the lonely-hearted feel me…
if only god would heal me...
the pain of yesterday could pave the way
for dawn to deal me..
a better hand....
when a man's
bedouin kin
nettlin' him to no end...
it's better for him to throw in...(the towel)
just to keep it humble...
though i could be disgruntled...
watchin my cousins robbed by the dozen...
bob's your uncle...
no sense in cryin direct your energies at rectifyin...
if destiny's a lexicon...
my fate, it seems...im testifyin'
Chorus:
with every dawn i wake...
and every song i make...
through every beat i'm taken
closer to my maker...
don't see no way...
of ever bein' no stray...
with him there will be no wavering...
b/c we know they
gonna try to deceive us
through their lies & mischievous
compromises of jesus' teachings...
it's wrong...but it's on...
a new dawn..a new morning...
a chance for us to just move on . . .
A new orient...
Verse 2:
so im an immigrant - what?
im still american but...
the pilgrimage of puritans don't get compared to my up...
bring in the fairness i must
be well aware of the cusp
the interference i cut
seein the perils of lust
bein a parent is tough
our mother earth's had enough
the mistress purses were stuffed
big brother's words were a bluff
what u gonna eat our food & not want us to share it?
uh uh...
put your feet in my shoes & not know how to bare it
a ha!
hypocrisy's apparent
thats why i can see the fear in
eyes of people - overbearing
swearin war was "over there" when
it's really here...
im really rare...
like bloody steaks
they called - hi(gh)
nobodys there...
i guess its safe to say that racists pray it stays this way
so they can take whats in the safe - keep us at bey with Akkk's
but im'a make a case for patience & for godness sake - sleep in
raise my face up in the morning find that i'm wake - speaking...
Chorus:
with every dawn i wake...
and every song i make...
through every beat i'm taken
closer to my maker...
don't see no way...
of ever bein' no stray...
with him there will be no wavering...
b/c we know they
gonna try to deceive us
through their lies & mischievous
compromises of jesus' teachings...
it's wrong...but it's on...
a new dawn..a new morning...
a chance for us to just move on . . .
A new orient... - Track Name: SyrianamericanA
-
Chorus:
SyrianamericanA is where i wanna be
There im honored
3iiish Nirvana - Peace & Harmony
Verse 1:
مشولي اموري
حضوري ضروري
مجبور وفخور بجذوري
سوري 'لك شوو؟'
خربولي دستوري
ومحولي عروبة عصوري
دوري دوري
يا أسطوانة أيام وشهور
يللي بتمر مرور
للي بيقدر يطول
هذا السور - قد ما علي
والسعر - قد ما غلي
ما باع له حصته
تراثه وقصته
فستق حلبي
أدب عربي
غلبي؟
النهي عن السلب
إجابةً على إرادة نبي خالق الأرض
بالفعل الماضي، المضارع، والأمر
إشتعل، يشتعل، وشعل الجمر
أفكاري كالنهر
والنبع من مخي
بردى وزمزم
قنبلة - طخي
طخي راسك
إنت فايت بيت أفندم
عائلة الشققي
أسرةً من طين ومن دم
شوو أساسك؟
ليك بتضلك هيك حتندم ...
هيك حتندم ...
وتبكي - تبكي
عمر أفندم
Chorus:
SyrianamericanA is where i wanna be
There I'm promised land & solace
Peace & Harmony
SyrianamericanA is where i wanna be
There I'm gonna 3ish (Live)
3ish Harmony
With no one but me & my family
Verse 2:
its that "home"
so nostalgic that poem
known to sound (home)sick
that phone click-clack tone
lift that bone - give it back to him
look what that do 'em
just a little hope
knots on a rope
bigger black tomb
take 'em back through them
paperback tunes
bombs in the sky
make Iraq bloom
ironic isnt it?
how a modern Babylon
was responsible for the
current problems
in the Fertile Crescent
what a dilemma
when they murder peasants
and they find men will
never learn their lesson
its a fine line 'tween a smith n wessun
hindsight 20/20 - keep em guessin
get your mind right - aint no half-steppin
this is hip-hop - what a blessin
Chorus:
SyrianamericanA is where i wanna be
There I'm promised land & solace
Peace & Harmony
SyrianamericanA is where i wanna be
There I'm gonna 3ish (Live)
3ish Harmony
With no one but me & my family
