Aster Aweke (Amharic: አስቴር አወቀ) is an Ethiopian singer who lives in the Uni… Read Full Bio ↴Aster Aweke (Amharic: አስቴር አወቀ) is an Ethiopian singer who lives in the United States.

Born in 1961(though some sources cite the late fifties), this much-loved Ethiopian artist is musically adventerous. The daughter of a senior public servant, she was raised in Addis Ababa and began singing publicly as a teenager. In 1981, Aweke migrated to the United States and settled in Washington D.C. among a large Ethiopian expatriate community. Her popularity grew in the United States and remained strong at home.

Discography

Ethiopian Groove - The Golden Seventies, Paris, 1994, Buda Musique (contains three of her very first recordings)
1989 Aster (Columbia/CBS Records)
1991 Kabu (Columbia/SME Records)
1993 Ebo (Barkhanns)
1997 Live in London (Barkhanns)
1999 Hagere (Kabu Records)
2002 Sugar (Kabu Records)
2004 Asters Ballads (Kabu Records)
2006 Fikir

Bati
Aster Aweke Lyrics

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ጊዜው ይርዘም እንጂ መች እረሳሀለው
በሆነው ባልሆነው እናፍቅሀለው
በል ይግረምህ እና ዛሬም ወድሀለው
አንጀቴን አስሬ ይኸው እኖራለው
ርቄ ሄጃለው ሁሉን ትቼ
ትዝታን በልቤ አስቀርቼ
ምነው የምቀጣ የምቸገር
ከቶ ምን ይሆን ያንተ ሚስጥር

ተማምነው ተዋደው አብረው የኖሩት
ሲለዩት ይፋጃል እንደ እግር እሳት
እንደ እግር እሳት
በልቤ ወድጄ በአፌ የማቀብጥህ
ትቼ የማልተውህ እኔው ነኝ ወዳጅህ
አይቻልም እና የአንዳንድ ሰው ናፍቆት
መውደድን በወጉ ፍቅር ያስተማሩት
ርቄ ሄጃለው ሁሉን ትቼ
ትዝታን በልቤ አስቀርቼ
ምነው የምቀጣ የምቸገር
ከቶ ምን ይሆን ያንተ ሚስጥር
የልቤ ምሰሶ ዘንጉ ተሰበረ
የማይመነጠር ምሽግ የነበረ
ምሽግ የነበረ
በፅኑ ትዝታ በራቀው መንገዴ
እስቲ ላሰላስልህ ደግሞ እንደ ልማዴ
ይኸው ልቤ ጥሎኝ ተነስቶ ሲሄድ

ባንተ መወስወሱን አድርጎ ልማድ
አድርጎ ልማድ

Overall Meaning

In Aster Aweke's hit song "Nafkot," the singer addresses a loved one, expressing her desire to be closer to them both physically and emotionally. Throughout the song, she longs to understand her partner's thoughts and feelings, yearning to forge a deeper connection. The chorus repeats the phrase "Riqe Hejalew" which means "touch me closer" in Amharic, emphasizing the desire for closeness.

The first verse of the song suggests that time is slipping away, and the singer is imploring her partner to touch her more closely before it's too late. She acknowledges that her partner may be hesitant, but insists that they can trust each other. The following verse elaborates on this theme, explaining that even in the heat of an argument, the singer still longs for her partner's love and touch. In the third verse, Aster Aweke sings of her own uncertainty, wondering why her partner loves her despite her flaws. She asks what they see in her, and why they are willing to stay with her through thick and thin.

Overall, "Nafkot" is a touching love song that speaks to universal themes of intimacy, vulnerability, and trust. Aster Aweke's smooth voice and the soothing melody make for a truly magical listening experience.

Line by Line Meaning

ጊዜው ይርዘም እንጂ መች እረሳሀለው
The time passes without noticing it, but love will find its way.

በሆነው ባልሆነው እናፍቅሀለው
Even when it seems like it's failing, love will still persist.

በል ይግረምህ እና ዛሬም ወድሀለው
You will be patient and endure everything, no matter how long it takes.

አንጀቴን አስሬ ይኸው እኖራለው
I will always defend you and stand by your side.

ርቄ ሄጃለው ሁሉን ትቼ
My thoughts of you are always with me, every second.

ትዝታን በልቤ አስቀርቼ
I keep the memories of our love in my heart.

ምነው የምቀጣ የምቸገር
What I desire is your complete happiness and satisfaction.

ከቶ ምን ይሆን ያንተ ሚስጥር
Whatever it takes, I'll be there for you as your true partner.

ተማምነው ተዋደው አብረው የኖሩት
All of our dreams and aspirations are achieved by working together.

ሲለዩት ይፋጃል እንደ እግር እሳት
Our love will never die but continue to burn like a flame.

በልቤ ወድጄ በአፌ የማቀብጥህ
I will wait for you patiently, accept you for who you are.