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

Wolela
Aster Aweke Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

ነህ የኔ ወለላ ጣፋጭ ብርቱካኔ
ጣፋጭ ብርቱካኔ
ነህ የኔ ወለላ ጣፋጭ ብርቱካኔ
ጣፋጭ ብርቱካኔ
ቁጭ ብለህ አጫውተኝ አትለይ ከጎኔ
ቁጭ ብለህ አጫውተኝ አትለይ ከጎኔ
አይንህ ሲንከባለል የሰው ልብ ያስቀራል
አከላትህ ሁሉ ማሾነው ያበራል

ያመልህም ነገር ዝናው ይነገራል
እንግዲ ካላንተ እንዴት ይታደራል
አሁሁ ከደጅህ ጎዳና ከቤትህ መድረሻ
አሁሁ መጥቼልሃለው ያንተው ሆደ ባሻ
እንኳን እኔን ቀርቶ የምድር ምድሪትዋን
የምድር ምድሪትዋን
ጀንበርም ሰው ብትሆን በልተሃል አንጀትዋን
በልተሃል አንጀትዋን
እንኳን እኔን ቀርቶ የምድር ምድሪትዋን
የምድር ምድሪትዋን
እንኳን እኔን ቀርቶ የምድር ምድሪትዋን
ጀንበርም ሰው ብትሆን በልተሃል አንጀትዋን

ከደጅህ ጎዳና ከቤትህ መድረሻ
መጥቼልሃለው ያንተ ሆደ ባሻ...

Overall Meaning

The song "Wolela" by Aster Aweke is a love song that expresses the feelings of the singer towards her lover. In the chorus, she repeats the phrase "Neh yene wolela tafach birtukanne" which translates to "I am your Wolela, your crazy lover." She emphasizes her love and the fact that she is willing to do anything for him, even if it means being considered crazy. She urges him to come closer and not be afraid.

In the verse, she sings about how she is willing to do anything to be with him. She says "kucha baleh achawotegna atleye kegone," which means "call me and I will come running." She also sings about his effect on her and how she cannot resist him, saying "sinksibaleh sinkebalel yasikiraaleh."

The song has a passionate and emotional tone, with Aster Aweke's powerful vocals conveying the depth of her feelings. The repetition of the chorus adds to the intensity of the song, as does the use of traditional Ethiopian rhythms and instruments.

Line by Line Meaning

ነህ የኔ ወለላ ጣፋጭ ብርቱካኔ
I am yours Wolela, wrapped in your warmth

ጣፋጭ ብርቱካኔ
Wrapped in your warmth

ቁጭ ብለህ አጫውተኝ አትለይ ከጎኔ
You overwhelmed me with your embrace, without leaving any room for escape

አይንህ ሲንከባለል የሰው ልብ ያስቀራል
You always know how to handle people, hence you're highly respected and admired

አከላትህ ሁሉ ማሾነው ያበራል
You are the centerpiece of all your friends' thoughts and conversations

ያመልህም ነገር ዝናው ይነገራል
Whatever you decide, it becomes the talk of town

እንግዲ ካላንተ እንዴት ይታደራል
Because of how important you are, people always try to impress you

አሁሁ ከደጅህ ጎዳና ከቤትህ መድረሻ
Right from your home to the big city, you are known and respected

አሁሁ መጥቼልሃለው ያንተው ሆደ ባሻ
You are loved and highly valued by everyone around you

እንኳን እኔን ቀርቶ የምድር ምድሪትዋን
Everywhere I go, I talk about the beauty of our land

የምድር ምድሪትዋን
The beauty of our land