Friday, July 3, 2009

Cheb Khaled - Oran, oh Oran
شاب خالد - وهران وهران
Wahrane, Wahrane

Updated media and translation

Wahrane is the Arabic name for the city known in English of Oran on the coast of Algeria. It was the birthplace of Rai, however, when an Islamist party took power in Algeria during the mid 90s many of the musicians left the country because the government became hostile towards them. This song was recorded by Khaled after he left, and reflects the nostalgia and longing that many emigrants to France and other countries from North Africa experience, living in what is known in Arabic as el-Ghorba (الغربة) that should be understood as "estrangement," "homesicknees," or "being far away from home and out of place."

There are extra verses in the live performance, which is much more recent than the album version upon which these lyrics are based. However, I don't have the lyrics for these extra verse nor do I understand them.



Cheb Khaled - Wahrane, Wahrane

Wahrane, Wahrane you went to hell
Those who were smart ran away from you
They remain confused in their exile
And that exile is hard and traitorous

My happiness is with the children of el Hamri (a district of Oran)
Children of the city and Sidi el Houari (a neighborhood in Oran where Khaled was from)
I spent my youth with them
My art is for them as long as I live

How beautiful are the nights my country
The flutes and drums echo
Oh those who are going to her
Ask them to take care of my country

I'll never forget my countr
My land and the land of my ancestors
I asked my family about the people
Seems they've left their religion and turned to the bottle (litearlly, followed the cup)

A dozen cups on the table
Drank ten of them with no effect
Sorry for the the empty space
Her beauty was a wondrous beauty

Sadness entered in my heart
And so I cry and call out


خالد - وهران وهران

وهران وهران رحتي خساره
هجروا منك ناس شطارى
قعدوا في الغربه حيارى
و الغربه صعيبه و غداره

يا فرحي على اولاد الحمري
اولاد مدينه و سيدي الهواري
عديت معاهم صغري
لهم فني طول عمري

ما احلى صهريات بلادي
القصبه و القلالي صادي
يا اللي ماشين ليها غادي
وصوا يتهلوا في بلادي

عمري ما ننسى بلادي
أرضي و أرض اجدادي
وصيت اهلي على الناس
تركوا دينهم و تبعوا الكاس

يا الزينه بالكاس و المايده
راه عشره بلا فايده
وعدي على الطحطحه وعدي
كان زينها زين الودادي
رجعت غمه في فؤادي
وليت نبكي و ننادي

11 comments:

Nia said...

wow, what a discovery! I'm linking this to my blog with a Spanish translation, tell me if there is a problem. :)

Anonymous said...

leehom ghanni tool 3omri not leehom fanni tool 3omri. :)

Anonymous said...

This song is also a cover from Ahmed Wahby !

listen the original performance

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6ecia_ahmed-wahbi-wahran-wahran_music

Anonymous said...

I guess I made a mistake , this song of khaled is Rohy ya wahrane and not the cover he made later wahrane wahrane !!

Anonymous said...

And now forgot the last post because It's really the cover of Ahmed Wahbi song !! lol sorry to spam !!
I think Mr Houari is not a correct translation for Sidi el Houari.
Sidi means more. Sidi is used for awliya (great soufi masters). Sidi Houari is the great Soufi loved by West Algerians.

ps : My nickname Houari is not reference to this Houari but to the former Algerian President Houari Boumediene. That was also his nickname during the freedom ware . He used two names usually used by western Algerian "Houari" and "Boumediene" (a former student of Ibn arabi and another great sufi).

Anonymous said...

and this is a live performance of Ahmed wahbi singing wahrane wahrane
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2qzyz_ahmed-wahbi-wahran-wahran_music

(the istikbar is very long until 3:17)

Anonymous said...

Sidi el Houari is the neighborhood in Oran where Khaled was born. So better to let it as it is in the translation...

Unknown said...

Thanks for this great comment, I like listening to Khaled, but if he sings in arabic or bereber I can't understand (I can understand French).
Thank you again, great job!

Momo said...

It's in Arabic- the dialect they speak in Oran and West Algeria. Some clarification- El Hamri and Sidi el Houari are the two older districts of Oran. They go way back to the early times of Oran. Sidi el Houari is named, as HouariB said, after the imam whose tomb lies within. My father and grandfather lived there as well. The entire district is called Sidi el Houari. Sadly, this song has a truth to it - I often hear stories from my parents and grandparents of the city and how it once had a greater culture to it.

Unknown said...

Thank you so much! I was searching for a good decent translation to provides my friends with.

However a minor comment:
يا الزينه بالكاس و المايده
راه عشره بلا فايده

Is not
A dozen cups on the table
Drank ten of them with no effect

In the song he is contemplating that all the people are doing is dining and drinking; which is useless company. (Instead of doing useful activities)

I think the accurate translation is something along those lines:
Boasting with Wine and Lavish tables
I see is useless company

Thanks again!

Unknown said...

يدزينا\يجزينا\يكفينا من الكاس و المايدة
راها عشرة بلا فايدة

Enough with the drunkenness and feasting
They make for nothing but false camaraderie