They ask me what my name is;
I told them: "I don’t remember."
All that I know about myself
Is that I’m an Arab and my name is Arab
They asked me about my country
I answered: “It means a lot to me,”
But where are you my land?
I’m an Arab and my homeland is Arab.
Ya la la, ya la la .. Hello and a big welcome
To the one who was once great, but time has changed him
Ya la la, ya la la .. Hello and a big welcome
To the one who was once great, but time has changed him
The Arabs once were masters of science, literature and high culture,
Knights and warriors,
But that’s all a long forgotten history,
Bygone days.
Eastern in name but Western in behaviour and acts
And between the two I am lost
And my God help us, O listeners...
To change our pitiful state
We mocked our traditions, saying “whatever,”
Now we spend our nights in bars… “what’s the problem?!”
Ya la la, ya la la .. Hello and a big welcome
To the one who was once great, but time has changed him
Ya la la, ya la la .. Hello and a big welcome
To the one who was once great, but time has changed him
We spend all our days from morning till evening,
Going from one mall to another
All we care about is the latest fashion,
And the nicest perfumes.
"Give me some of the most expensive designer products you have!"
"Who is as glamorous as me??"
"Everywhere I go I turn heads"
"All eyes are on me"
Expensive sunglasses and cars: Audis and Ferraris,
We love wasting billions without blinking – but we’re a joke
Ya la la, ya la la .. Hello and a big welcome
To the one who was once great, but time has changed him
Ya la la, ya la la .. Hello and a big welcome
To the one who was once great, but time has changed him
The Americans have divided us and set us against each other,
Turning neighbour against neighbour,
Why did all this have to happen?
It’s too much to bear
Tell me, where is our unity?
We used to be brothers, united,
And now look at where we are!
Each one of us is heading in a different direction,
One affects an American twang saying "Thank you"
The other a French accent: "Merci beaucoup"
And we’ve forgotten how to say "Al-hamdu Lillah" (All praise is to God)
They hold glitzy singing contests in Beirut
Some are singing while others are dying.
What can we say except "We belong to God" (Inna Lillah)?
Ya la la, ya la la .. Hello and a big welcome
To the one who was once great, but time has changed him
Ya la la, ya la la .. Hello and a big welcome
To the one who was once great, but time has changed him