We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

The Story of Qahwah

from Lost In Translation by Omar Offendum

supported by
/
  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $1 USD  or more

     

lyrics

According to the AbdelKadir manuscript
Sheikh Omar was the very first man who sipped
This aromatic brown brew
When he was exiled from Mocha
Sent to a desert cave out near Ousab
With little hope of ever returning
A bedouin yearning
This Yemeni learning
That with nothing to quell his hunger
His empty stomach forever churning
He'd better be resourceful
So he resorted to eating the beans
Of nearby shrubs & ne'er remorseful
But they were just too bitter to force through
So he chose to roast the morsels
And when that made them way too hard
He softened them in hot water
Thats when something caught him off guard
The resulting liquid left him feeling
Rejuvenated & jubilated!
Almost forgetting the fact that he'd been excommunicated
And when word had finally gotten round
Of this magic mountain medicine
That cured the sick & gave a kick
They called him back for questioning
He said "in every habitat you're at
You have to find the lessons
Me? I made this drink to think
Plus it's an appetite suppressant
I call it “Qahwa”

It went from Qahwa to Kahve
Caffe to Coffee
From an Ethiopian cherry
To one of the most traded commodities In the world after oil ...
and in a world long before it
It's what Muslims were known for
So of course they tried to ban it
Till Pope Clement VIII felt
He could no longer ignore it
Said it wasn't so satanic after all
& had them pour it for him
Then import it...
Fast forward to today
Where the importance
Of a pour-over in Northeast LA
Can simply not be over stated
And while the hippest hipsters
Have a casual debate
About which spots are overrated
I just try to keep it civil
And highly caffeinated
Engaging in the sort of conversation
That keeps me fascinated
About these little brown beans
Traveling streets of immense silk
From the Far East to the Wild West
Laced with Sweetened Condensed Milk
Maintaining their robustness
No matter how far you send them like
SinSyrianly Yours,
Omar Offendum

credits

from Lost In Translation, released September 14, 2020
Lyrics written / performed by Omar Offendum
Music produced / mixed by Thanks Joey

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Omar Offendum New York, New York

Omar Offendum is a rapper, spoken word poet, and theatrical storyteller. He was named a Kennedy Center Citizen Artist and Arab America Foundation "40 Under 40" award recipient. His off-Broadway hit production "Little Syria" has sold out venues across America - including the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music, CAP-UCLA, and Joe's Pub at The Public Theater in NYC. ... more

contact / help

Contact Omar Offendum

Streaming and
Download help

Report this track or account

If you like Omar Offendum, you may also like: