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.

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

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

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

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

It’s impossible that I’d accept any insult to you
مُسْتحيل impossible
قِبِل to accept
في حقّ concerning, about
أيّ any
كِلْمة word

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

and whoever asks me about you I’d say she’s a blessing.
اللي he who
سأل على to ask about
نعْمة blessing, grace

It’s impossible to describe your beauty no matter what I say.
وَصف to describe
جمال beauty
مهْما whatever, no matter (what/how…)

You’re still the same, still the same to me.
عنْدي I have; but here: for me, to me

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

You’re still the same, still the same to me.

As precious as before and [my] feelings are hidden.

You’ve left a sweet memory in my heart.
ساب to leave

I still hear your voice in my ears like a song.
صوْت voice
سِمِع to hear
وِدان ears
غِنْوَة lyrical song

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

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

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-

As precious as before and [my] feelings are hidden.

You’re still the same, still the same to me.

As precious as before and [my] feelings are hidden.

Amr Diab on social media:

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6 Comments

  4. Thank God now I have got helpful tool for studying Egyptian dialect. learning through music is the most interesting and refreshing way, like me many other people like listening to masry music. I use to dance to them but now I think am gonna enjoy more than ever. ❤

    1. Ah! Yes, that is too bad the video is no longer on YouTube. Thanks for letting me know. I updated the video to an audio-only version, and the acapella version you shared the link for is great, too!

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