You can hear Leila, cascading melts of masculine vocals only suspended with thrusts of violin, beats and bass – attacked by neurotic melody that means no harm – sometimes tender, even sometimes on pause. Through the music, you can smell where Leila has been, in bed sheets, on sidewalks, jasmines in rifles and spilled coffee on dresses as she made you play with aubergines, dancing her dance. Music has constantly been their place to play with things, to match and mis-match, a project.
In the various performances, Mashrouʼ Leila is a constant attempt to taste and produce, more than happy to harvest anyone from the audience as a guest in their encores. They have performed around Lebanon since 2008, playing in various venues in Beirut, taking over supposed public piazzas as well as clubs, pubs, hybrids and the such – they also played in Zahle, Sour, Jounieh, Saida and Deir el Qamar, each of which pushed forward their thinking about how to go about their music, lyrics and performance. It is only when Mashrouʼ Leila goes live, that you can actually catch a glimpse of Leila. As it talks to you of Beirut, the city that tastes of the absurd, the product of its day-to-day experiences, its stubborn security and lack of the latter, its musical bombshells, incoherent sexuality and thrusting pleasure…narcotic pain – as it brings forward hints of Arabic Tarab, rock, to folk pop, electro, you can see Leila in every man and woman in the silent- come-raving audience. In this trajectory, they participated in music workshops and concerts in Amman and Cairo to maneuver their way into a pan-Arab music scene, to know and to announce, more importantly to grow, musically.
In March 2009, Mashrouʼ Leila won the Lebanese Modern Music Contest jury prize and public vote organized by Radio Liban in partnership with CCF, Incognito and the Basement. They released their debut album in December 2009 at what turned out to be Beirut’s biggest alternative (read non-mainstream) event in recent years.
The months leading up to the Arab Spring proved fruitful for Leila as well. In July 2010, Mashrou’ Leila headlined Byblos International Music festival alongside the Gorillaz and Caetano Veloso; this was the first time a Lebanese band was given a headlining post in the festival and proved to be Mashrou’ Leila’s biggest concert yet. Fall of 2010-11 saw Leila pack up her suitcases with shows in Qatar at the Doha Tribeca International Film Festival and at the Vodafone Big Day Out, headlining alongside Hoobastank and Toploader, in the United Arab Emirates at the Du World Music Festival and the Music Room – Dubai’s leading live music venue and in Egypt where the live at the Genaina Theater show saw a sold out crowd with people gathering outside the venue premises for a peek.
In the summer of 2011, Mashrou’ Leila released "el Hal Romancy" E.P., five songs of new material recorded in mountain retreats with cousins and turkish coffee, in the abandoned concrete dome in the Tripoli world Fair and with a quintet of strings on cold winter nights. The release was held at the Hippodrome of Beirut. Mashrou’ Leila also added Serbia and Jordan to the map, with a spot in the 4 day prestigious Exit Festival in Serbia and a 2 night show at the Citadel in Jordan.
After two years, one spent writing the other spent producing, one crowd funding campaign, touring and gigging all around, Mashrou’ Leila released their 3rd Album “Raasük” on 27 August, 2013, recorded at the mighty Hotel 2 Tango in Montreal.
The first hint of new material arrived when the band started a campaign asking the members of their social media pages to submit lyrics and video ideas to be incorporated in the band's upcoming single. "3 Minutes" was released on March 17, 2015.
Contrary to their common method of writing and producing songs, the band decided not to test their new material in live concerts, opting instead for secrecy and mystery about their fourth album. The band recorded the 13 tracks in studio La Frette in France over the summer with French-Lebanese producer Samy Osta, and worked on orchestral and brass arrangements with the Macedonian Radio Orchestra in F.A.M.E's Studios in Macedonia. The band has said that this album is their most pop album to date, and deals with topics that range from the euphoric to the destructive and depressive, all taking place in the politically, socially, and sexually charged spaces of Beirut's night.
The band experimented with drum machines, loops, samples, and several synthesizers in a new method of composition, trying to accommodate for the departure of keyboard player Omaya Malaeb. "Maghawir" narrates a possible version of a club shooting in Beirut, drawing on references to real Lebanese case histories from two different shootings that took place within the same week, both of which resulted in the deaths of extremely young victims, each of who was out celebrating their birthday." During a show in Boston, the band explained that the song "Tayf (Ghost)" is about a shuttered gay club, and "Bint Elkhandaq" tells the story of a friend who learned, "as hard as it is to be a woman in Beirut, it’s just as hard to be brown in the West."
The album is heavily loaded with allusions and references, both to contemporary figures of pop, and to mythological figures of gods and demons.
On the November 28, the band released Ibn El Leil at the Barbican in London with live broadcasting on MTV Lebanon available to the entire world to positive reviews. "In the seven years since Mashrou’ Leila formed at the American University of Beirut, the quintet – whose name, in fact, means 'overnight project' – have won comparisons to everyone from Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead to Roxy Music and Wild Beasts."
On December 1, Ibn El Leil debuted at the number one spot on local iTunes channels, and charted as number 11 on the international world Billboard charts. "It’s such an impressive performance that stadiums seem not only possible but imminent."
The band released a music video for their single "Roman" on July 19, 2017. The single was included on the deluxe version of Ibn El Leil released July 21, 2017.
On February 8, 2019, Mashrou' Leila released a new single, "Cavalry", the first from their upcoming album The Beirut School. The Beirut School was released on March 1, 2019. The album includes some songs from the group's previous album. The group toured North America in 2019 in support of the album.
On Aug. 9, 2019, the band was set to perform at the Byblos International Festival. The concert was banned against the backdrop of widespread rejection and accusation that the lyrics of one of the group’s songs offend the Christian faith.
In September 2022, Sinno announced that the band would be disbanding. Sinno cited harassment and hate campaigns as a reason for the band breaking up, especially because of Mashrou’ Leila’s hardships with bans in Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt. The real reason for restrictions on the band is his declared gender identity, as he defines himself as being queer — something that he believes was behind the attacks on the musical group and their work over the past years.
Many of the group’s songs touch on the issue of homosexuality, namely the 2009 song “Sham El Yasmine,” which speaks of a forbidden relationship and love between two men, and their struggle to lead normal lives together. The band also produced several songs addressing social and political topics in unconventional ways. The group members also touched on love, marriage, sex, religion, emancipation, the reality of Arab cities and revolutions, political assassinations and other thorny issues in the Arab world.
www.mashrou3leila.com
Bint El Khandaq
Mashrou' Leila Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
وكبرتي كأن الاحساس بالغربة انولد معك
بطل يساعك جلدك ولا بيساع أحلامك
خيفانة تنامي سنين وتوعي وبعدك بنت بيك
تخونوه ايه ما طول عمره بيخونكم
تبيعوه ايه ما طول عمره بيبيعكم
قومي ياختي سوقي فينا عالماكينة بلا منعود
بكرا منعود
امك قالتلك عادي قال بكرة بتتعودي
وبتحكي مع العالم حولك بس بعدك وحيدة
والحق يقال جربتي ولا مرة هربتي
وبقيتي بالخندق بالخندق الغميق حاربتي
تخونوه ايه ما طول عمره بيخونكم
تبيعوه ايه ما طول عمره بيبيعكم
ولما التربة مالحة ليش عم نزرع وعود
قومي ياختي سوقي فينا عالماكينة بلا منعود
بكرا منعود
The song "Bint El Khandaq" (Daughter of the Trench) by Mashrou' Leila is about a woman who finds herself stuck in a cycle of life that she cannot escape, despite her efforts. The song begins by highlighting how she has her own life and habits but still feels a sense of alienation and loneliness in the world. The lyrics suggest that she cannot rely on anyone to help her apart from herself, and she is afraid that she will be left alone. The song goes on to talk about how society betrays people like her, where they cheat and sell out their identities for a sense of belonging. The woman is urged to break free from the circle of despair and push for a better future.
The lyrics convey a sense of frustration towards society's limitations on personal choices and ambitions. The singer is stuck in a trench of judgment, and every attempt she makes to break free, she is pulled back. The trench becomes a metaphor for the harsh reality of life where people are expected to conform to societal norms that they may not believe or agree with ultimately. This message resonates specifically in Arabic cultures, where traditions and expectations can be deeply ingrained and hard to break from.
Overall, "Bint El Khandaq" speaks to the struggles of women in the Middle East to be accepted, understood, and heard. The song encourages women to break free from the rigid societal expectations and imagine and work towards a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
هون عندك حياتك وعندك كل عاداتك
You have your life and all your habits right here
وكبرتي كأن الاحساس بالغربة انولد معك
You've grown up as if the feeling of estrangement was born with you
بطل يساعك جلدك ولا بيساع أحلامك
Nobody will help you with your skin, and nobody will help you with your dreams
خيفانة تنامي سنين وتوعي وبعدك بنت بيك
You sleep in fear for years, and when you wake up, you're still the same girl
تخونوه ايه ما طول عمره بيخونكم
Why do you betray him? He's been cheating on you all his life
تبيعوه ايه ما طول عمره بيبيعكم
Why do you sell yourself? He's been selling you all his life
لما التربة مالحة ليش عم نزرع وعود
When the soil is salty, why do we plant promises?
قومي ياختي سوقي فينا عالماكينة بلا منعود
Wake up, sister, and drive us towards a machine without obstacles
بكرا منعود
We'll be free tomorrow
امك قالتلك عادي قال بكرة بتتعودي
Your mother told you it's normal, but tomorrow you'll get used to it
وبتحكي مع العالم حولك بس بعدك وحيدة
You talk to the world around you, but you're still alone
والحق يقال جربتي ولا مرة هربتي
The truth is, you've tried and you've never run away
وبقيتي بالخندق بالخندق الغميق حاربتي
And you stayed in the deep trench, fighting
Writer(s): Hamed Sinno, Carl Gerges, Ibrahim Badr, Firas Fakher, Haig Papazian
Contributed by Anthony J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@user-zc3lv9qw7d
برجع لتعليقي بعد سنتين ويارب اكون حُره وسعيده وتكونون كلكم احرار💞
@tamarak6932
يارب تصيري حرة بسرعة🌼🌿
@fiver7382
+1
@khideramani2490
شو الاخبار lol
@turki.fawaz23
ها بشرينا؟💖
@khideramani2490
@@turki.fawaz23 أظن انها صارت حرة لدرجة مابترد على الكومنتس ههههه
@hadeelyahya.2523
الخندق يكبر معي بكلّ سنيني، لكن بيجي وقت أسمع الاغنية وأنا حرّة .
@Okkkkki
بيجيني بعد
@saraplanet2
it happened to me, trust yourself and be kind to it, it will happen3>
@JC-hg9xo
هي الأغنية صبرتني على مرحلة صعبة من حياتي ورجعت عشان بكل فخر أقول اني اخيرا طلعت من الخندق