In addition to the Imperial Body Guard Band, Mahmoud has sung with the Ibex Band, the Venus Band, the Walias Band, the Idan Raichel Project, and the Roha Band over the course of his career. Since the late 1990s he has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in Europe and the Americas since Buda Musique launced the Ethiopiques series on compact disc, leading to new recordings and tours in Europe and the United States with Boston's Either/Orchestra
Erè Mèla Mèla
Mahmoud Ahmed Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Endew mela mela, mela mela
Alfeligim fikir kanchi lela
(What to do with this issue, this issue
What to do with this issue, this issue
I don't want love other than you)
Tirfbota yelem, bilesh nigeriachew
Tenserafteshibet, baymiroye guada
Anchin yet adrigey, liqebel engida
("Hire us" they say to me, people who don't understand
Just tell them here is no open place
You've take up all the room in my mind
Where would I put you to accept a guest)
Libe Kelibish gar
Behasab tegenangto
Sigelagel aderku
Yanchi bene tintu
That my heart and your heart
Are joined in our thoughts
I reassure myself before sleeping
I am yours even in my old age
Ehil ayibelagn, aytimegn muziqa
Desitaye anchi nesh, teredawit beka
(The grain won't go down, the music has lost its taste
My happiness is you, I have finally learned)
Yehakimoch bizat, minim alderagni
Beshitaye anchi nesh, beqirb atigegni
Berabeng Betemang, minaminu belawu
Tigabe kanchi gar, Mehonu mech atahu
(The many doctors I've seen, won't help me at all
My sickness is you, since you are not near
Though I hunger and thirst, I eat whatever
That my fullness is by your side, how can I not know?)
The song "Erè Mèla Mèla" by Mahmoud Ahmed is a classic Ethiopian love song that expresses the depth and complexity of human emotions. The song opens with the repeated refrain, "What to do with this issue," which is a rhetorical question that suggests the singer is grappling with a problem that has no easy solution. The issue, as we learn from the lyrics that follow, is the singer's overwhelming love for someone who is absent, and the pain and longing that this absence causes.
The first verse describes the singer's encounter with people who do not understand the depth of his feelings. They suggest that he move on and find someone else, but the singer knows that he cannot love anyone else but the person who is not with him. The second verse speaks to the way that the singer's love has taken over his mind and heart, leaving him no room to accept anyone else. The final verse is a meditation on the power of love to sustain and fulfill us even in the face of physical illness and other challenges.
Overall, the lyrics of "Erè Mèla Mèla" convey a sense of longing, devotion, and a willingness to endure whatever life may bring in order to remain true to the object of one's affections. The song is a beautifully crafted expression of the human experience of love and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
Endew mela mela, ere mela
What to do with this issue, this issue
Endew mela mela, mela mela
What to do with this issue, this issue
Alfeligim fikir kanchi lela
I don't want love other than you
Qiteren yilugnal, sewoch saygebachew
"Hire us" they say to me, people who don't understand
Tirfbota yelem, bilesh nigeriachew
Just tell them here is no open place
Tenserafteshibet, baymiroye guada
You've take up all the room in my mind
Anchin yet adrigey, liqebel engida
Where would I put you to accept a guest
Libe Kelibish gar
That my heart and your heart
Behasab tegenangto
Are joined in our thoughts
Sigelagel aderku
I reassure myself before sleeping
Yanchi bene tintu
I am yours even in my old age
Ehil ayibelagn, aytimegn muziqa
The grain won't go down, the music has lost its taste
Desitaye anchi nesh, teredawit beka
My happiness is you, I have finally learned
Yehakimoch bizat, minim alderagni
The many doctors I've seen, won't help me at all
Beshitaye anchi nesh, beqirb atigegni
My sickness is you, since you are not near
Berabeng Betemang, minaminu belawu
Though I hunger and thirst, I eat whatever
Tigabe kanchi gar, Mehonu mech atahu
That my fullness is by your side, how can I not know?
Writer(s): Mahmoud Ahmed
Contributed by Xavier R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@solomonasfaw4850
Ethiopia's number 1 song of all time. Thank you Mahmoud and Ibex Band, Shewaluel, producers...
@robert27047
Mahmoud Ahmed est un très grand artiste ,très peu connue en france.Ere mela mela est l'une de mes chansons préférées 👍👍👍.👏👏👏
@Hakee04
One of the most everlasting songs evermade. Thanks for sharing it with us.
@borchamu
Libelle - thanks for posting this. Desert Blues is a great compilation, which includes two Ethiopian Artists, including Mahmoud Ahmed and Aster. Mela Mela is great Mahmoud classic. Thanks again.
@earth7heart
it has a continuous and binding nature to it and can go on and on; a bit like the blood going back to the heart and the heart giving it fresh life so it can go on and on..thank you for posting it.
@thoqba777
Ethiopians... wow wow wow an amazing people wonderful memories UN`forgetable times i have spent with them... and my Ethiopian flag is sweet heart alemnesh.. thanks for sharing... u make me crying body
@mrgakozak
What a great piece! Ethiopian music has its own very distinct sound, just like the food has its own unique taste. Wonderful stuff- both!
@nelsonfilipe450
Parece sempre igual e no entanto não me farto de escutá-la. Hipnótica e dançante.
@zigizinga
One of the best musics I have heard. I love it so much. Thank you Ato Mahmoud. You are a legend.
@bircruz555
The song playing here is a contemporary rendition of an old love tune. "Please divine 'some means or craft (Mela)' I want no one else's love, but yours... I enjoy no other music but you... you are my illness, ..." Ethiopians often have a problem of dating when such songs began. Our generation received them & they are in public domain. A number of artists have their own renditions of the tune. Mahmoud began playing his in the 60's or 70s. (I do not know if I answered your question.)