Mor Karbasi is a London-based Israeli singer and pianist, specialising in S… Read Full Bio ↴Mor Karbasi is a London-based Israeli singer and pianist, specialising in Sephardic songs.

Karbasi sings in Ladino, Spanish, Hebrew, and - on rarer occasions - English. She is directly descended from both Moroccan and Persian Jews, and is a fan of Flamenco, which provides a strong flavour throughout all her songs. Her early musical performances were with Pena Flamenca in Jerusalem, and her mother played Moroccan piyyutim (liturgical poems) and sang Andalucian Jewish ballads at their home. She continues to be a constant influence on her daughter.

Karbasi's group performed at their first WOMAD festival at Charlton Park in 2007, and BBC Radio 3 World Routes immediately broadcast three of their songs.

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La Galana i la Mar
Mor Karbasi Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

la espozica está n'el baño,
vestida de colorado,
echate a la mar, échate a la mar y alcánçalo,
échate a la mar.

si, a la mar yo bien m'echava,
si la suegra licencia me dara,
echate a la mar, échate a la mar y alcánçalo,

échate a la mar.

ya salió de la mar la galana,
con un vestido de silma blanca.
echate a la mar, échate a la mar y alcánçalo,
échate a la mar.

entre la mar i el río,
vestida de amariyo.
echate a la mar, échate a la mar y alcánçalo,
échate a la mar.

entre la mar i la arena,
cresió un árvol de canela.

echate a la mar, échate a la mar y alcánçalo,
échate a la mar.

Overall Meaning

The song "La Galana i la Mar" by Mor Karbasi is a traditional Sephardic song about a woman longing for her loved one who is at sea. The lyrics express the woman's desire to reach her lover who is lost at sea and the obstacles she must overcome to be with him. In the first verse, the woman is seen dressed in red and telling herself to jump into the sea and reach her lover. She needs permission from her mother-in-law and if she gets it then she will jump into the sea. In the following verses, the woman imagines her lover coming out of the sea dressed in white, between the sea and the river, and among the sand dunes where a cinnamon tree is growing. All these surroundings where the woman is imagining herself and her lover are breathtaking and add to the romance of the situation.

The song is told from a woman's perspective, which gives the song a distinctive voice. The song poetically portrays the power of enduring love that can overcome physical boundaries. The lyricist uses rich symbolism throughout the lyrics to deepen the meaning of the words. For example, the cinnamon tree growing between the sea and the sand dunes suggests that, just like the tree is rooted between two opposite elements, the woman's love is also resilient and solid.

Line by Line Meaning

la espozica está n'el baño,
The bride is in the bathroom,

vestida de colorado,
Dressed in red,

echate a la mar, échate a la mar y alcánçalo,
Throw yourself into the sea, reach out and grab it,

échate a la mar.
Throw yourself into the sea.

si, a la mar yo bien m'echava,
Yes, I would throw myself into the sea,

si la suegra licencia me dara,
If only my mother-in-law would let me,

ya salió de la mar la galana,
The beautiful lady emerged from the sea,

con un vestido de silma blanca.
Wearing a white silk dress.

entre la mar i el río,
Between the sea and the river,

vestida de amariyo.
Dressed in yellow.

entre la mar i la arena,
Between the sea and the sand,