Egyptian Arabic Song: Zay Manty (Amr Diab)
Egyptian artist Amr Diab has won a record seven World Music Awards to date and is considered the all-time best-selling recording artist from the Middle East. He is the creator of his own genre, which he calls “Mediterranean Music,” a meld of Arabic harmony and Western rhythms and it has influenced many subsequent artists.
Have fun singing along while learning the lyrics. Below, you can see the Arabic script with tashkeel. Click on any line to expand it to reveal the English translation and language notes.
| Arabic | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| إنْتي لِسّه زيّ ما إنْتي، قمر في عيْني. | You're still the same, so beautiful in my eyes. | إنْتي you (f) لِسّه still زيّ as, like (+ noun) is a preposition, but we add ما to make a conjunction: زيّ ما + clause... although here the clause is short: إنْتي you are (the verb 'be' is unexpressed in Arabic in the present tense) زيّ ما إنْتي as you are: Notice that the kasra of إنْتي is assimilated, that is, the words run together: manti قمر moon (moon is an epithet of beauty in Arabic) عيْن eye ـي my |
| أحْلى عُمْر ده اللي كان بيْنِك و بيْني. | It was the best life was that we spent together. | حِلْو good, nice, sweet; the elative (superlative) form is أحْلى áɧla عُمْر life ده it, he, this اللي that, which كان was بيْن between بيْنِك و بيْني between us (lit. between you and between me), that is, shared |
| و أمّا تيجي في الكّلام سيرْتِك بقول: | And whenever you come up in conversation, I say: | أمّا when جِهْ to come: تيجي you come كلام words, speech, conversation سيرة gossip, mention قال to say: بقول I say |
| دي حبيبْتي الغالْيَة، دي بِنْت الأُصول. | She's my precious love; she's a decent girl. | دي she, it, this حبيبة darling (f) غالي dear, precious; expensive بِنْت girl, young woman أُصول origins (that is, of good lineage, from good people |
| مُسْتحيل أقْبل في حقِّك أيّ كِلْمة. | It's impossible that I'd accept any insult to you | مُسْتحيل impossible قِبِل to accept في حقّ concerning, about أيّ any كِلْمة word |
| إنْتي أعْلى مِنْهُم فوْق، إنْتي نِجْمة. | You're above everybody else, you're a star, | عالي high; the elative (superlative) form is أعْلى á3la مِن than ـهُم them فوْق up, above نِجْمة star |
| و اللي يسْألْني عليْكي بقول دي نعْمة. | and whoever asks me about you I'd say she's a blessing. | اللي he who سأل على to ask about نعْمة blessing, grace |
| مُسْتحيل أَوْصف جمالِك مهْما أقول. | It's impossible to describe your beauty no matter what I say. | وَصف to describe جمال beauty مهْما whatever, no matter (what/how...) |
| زيّ ما إنْتي، إنْتي عنْدي زيّ ما إنْتي | You're still the same, still the same to me. | عنْدي I have; but here: for me, to me |
| الغلاوَة هِيَّ هِيَّ والمشاعِر مِتْدارية. | As precious as before and [my] feelings are hidden. | غلاوَة preciousness هِيَّ means 'she', but هِيَّ هِيَّ is 'the same (referring to a feminine noun) مشاعِر feelings اِتْدارى to be hidden |
| زيّ ما إنْتي، إنْتي عنْدي زيّ ما إنْتي | You're still the same, still the same to me. | |
| الغلاوَة هِيَّ هِيَّ و المشاعِر مِتْدارية. | As precious as before and [my] feelings are hidden. | |
| ده إنْتي سايْبة جُوّه قلْبي ذِكْرى حِلْوة. | You've left a sweet memory in my heart. | ساب to leave |
| لِسّه صوْتِك بسْمعُه في وِداني غِنْوَة. | I still hear your voice in my ears like a song. | صوْت voice سِمِع to hear وِدان ears غِنْوَة lyrical song |
| دي الحقيقة إنّ الحَياة بعْدِك ما تِسْوى. | The truth is that my life after you is worthless. | حقيقة truth إنّ that... حَياة life بعْد after ما not: Usually a negative verb is formed in Egyptian Arabic by sandwiching the verb with مـ and ـش but here, with poetic license, ما is used without the ـش suffix. سِوي to be have value |
| حُبّي ليكي كُلّ يوْم في البُعْد يِقْوي. | My love for you every day away [from you] grows stronger. | حُبّ love ليكي for you (f) كُلّ every يوْم day في البُعْد in the distance, remote |
| سيبِك إنْتي، عامْلة أيْه؟ و إزّيِّك إنْتي؟ | But never mind, how is it going? How are you? | سيبك إنْتَ (in the masculine form; lit. leave yourself) never mind, moving on, forget it عامِل إيهْ؟ how have you been? (lit. doing what?) إزّاي izzaay 'how', but when it takes a suffix, it becomes إزّيّـ izzayy- |
| دي الغلاوَة هِيَّ هِيَّ و المشاعِر مِتْدارية. | As precious as before and [my] feelings are hidden. | |
| زيّ ما إنْتي، إنْتي عنْدي زيّ ما إنْتي | You're still the same, still the same to me. | |
| الغلاوَة هِيَّ هِيَّ والمشاعِر مِتْدارية. | As precious as before and [my] feelings are hidden. |
This is fantastic. Love learning colloquial Arabic through songs. Can you do this for a Hamaki song? Please?