The lyrics in his compositions are in formal (fus-ha), Palestinian, or Egyptian dialect, written by himself or by Arab poets. The lyrics, in general, are not directed towards a specific theme; they express an array of human experience that is not defined by time or place: love, challenge, insecurity, boredom, thrill, frustration, etc. Tamer's music absorbs the lyrics, chews them, re-arranges their perspective, and bursts them as expressive originals that are certainly defined by time and place; the current time; Palestine. If the lyrics speak of love and passion, the music speaks of love separated by the Apartheid Wall and passion under siege. This link seems inevitable for any honest musical expression throughout the Palestinian musical scene, even if it is not evident at the first glance.
Helm
Tamer Abu Ghazaleh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
حلم غريب يخوف
أما يما شوفت حلم
حلم غريب يخوف
شوفتني قال راكبة مركب
ماشية يما ف بحر واسع
زي غيط غلة وموجه هادي
شوفتني قال راكبة مركب
ماشية يما ف بحر واسع
زي غيط غلة وموجه هادي
بحر مش شايفه له بر
قال إيه وعماله أقدف
والمراكبي ابن عمي
ماسك الدفة ومتعصب
ومتعصب بشال
أما يما شوفت حلم
حلم غريب يخوف
أما يما شوفت حلم
حلم غريب يخوف
شوفتني قال راكبة مركب
ماشية يما ف بحر واسع
زي غيط غلة وموجه هادي
بحر مش شايفه له بر
شوفتني قال راكبة مركب
ماشية يما ف بحر واسع
زي غيط غلة وموجه هادي
بحر مش شايفه له بر
قال إيه وعماله أقدف
والمراكبي ابن عمي
ماسك الدفة ومتعصب
ومتعصب بشال
شاله أحمر يما خالص
لونه من لون الطماطم
جت حمامة بيضة. بيضة
وزي كبشة قطن فوق راسه وحطت
شاله أحمر يما خالص
لونه من لون الطماطم
جت حمامة بيضة. بيضة
وزي كبشة قطن فوق راسه وحطت
ويا دوب البر لاح إلا والريح جاية
قولي زي غول مسعور بينفخ
تقلب المركب وألاقي نفسي
بين الموج بصرخ
آه يا ابن عمي، يا ابن عمي، يا ابن عمي
يا ابن عمي، يا ابن عمي، يا ابن عمي
يا ابن عمي، يا ابن عمي، يا ابن عمي
قال وهو ماشي فوق الموج بيضحك
راح بعيد يما خالص
راح بعيد يما خالص
راح بعيد يما خالص
راح بعيد يما خالص
راح بعيد يما خالص
راح بعيد يما خالص
راح بعيد يما خالص
وفوق راسه الحمامة برضو واقفة
The song "Helm" by Tamer Abu Ghazaleh is written in Arabic and tells a story of a dream. The first stanza repeats the phrase, "Have you ever seen a dream, a strange dream that scares?" The dream imagery is conveyed in the following stanzas, where the singer is seen in a boat floating in a vast sea with no visible shore. The metaphorical use of the sea and the boat can represent the uncertainty and fear in life.
The dream becomes surreal when a relative of the singer, who is holding a drum and wearing a red scarf, appears and starts to act aggressively. The last two stanzas describe the arrival of a dove and the image of cotton on the relative's head, which creates a sense of confusion and disorientation in the dream. The song ends with the repetition of the line, "He went far, pure red," possibly indicating the singer's departure from the fearful dream world.
Overall, the song can be interpreted as a reflection on the uncertainty and fear of life, and the surreal and illogical nature of dreams that can exacerbate these emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
أما يما شوفت حلم
Have you ever seen a dream?
حلم غريب يخوف
A strange, frightening dream
شوفتني قال راكبة مركب
He saw me on a boat
ماشية يما ف بحر واسع
Sailing on a wide sea
زي غيط غلة وموجه هادي
Like the flow of the tide and the gentle waves
بحر مش شايفه له بر
A sea that can't see any shore
قال إيه وعماله أقدف
He said something and kept throwing
والمراكبي ابن عمي
The boatman is my cousin
ماسك الدفة ومتعصب
Holding the drum and getting excited
ومتعصب بشال
And getting excited with a red scarf
شاله أحمر يما خالص
His red scarf is pure
لونه من لون الطماطم
Its color is like tomatoes
جت حمامة بيضة. بيضة
A white pigeon came. An egg-shaped pigeon
وزي كبشة قطن فوق راسه وحطت
And it had a cotton wool on its head and landed
ويا دوب البر لاح إلا والريح جاية
Hardly had the shore appeared when the wind came
قولي زي غول مسعور بينفخ
Saying, 'Blow like a crazed monster'
تقلب المركب وألاقي نفسي
The boat flipped over and I found myself
بين الموج بصرخ
Screaming in between waves
آه يا ابن عمي، يا ابن عمي، يا ابن عمي
Oh my cousin, Oh my cousin, Oh my cousin
قال وهو ماشي فوق الموج بيضحك
He said while walking on the waves and laughing
راح بعيد يما خالص
He went far, far away
وفوق راسه الحمامة برضو واقفة
And on his head, the pigeon was still standing
Contributed by Oliver K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Blogothèque
Want to see more? Subscribe: http://bit.ly/SubBlogo
Jumana l
I'm so ecstatic to finally see someone Palestinian, someone like me, on this beautiful channel that I've been following for years! Tamer is one of my favorite musicians--kudos for featuring such a talented soul! <3
Zsolt Homonnai
Thanks for introducing this amazing musician and music to me.
Paula Vraja
This is so beautiful! Congratulations from Brazil!
Abdelrhman Ghaly
Amazing
Cam Knopp Music
Very cool
Marcelo Echevarri
what camera are you guys using? looks amazing
Blogothèque
It's a Canon C100
Marcelo Echevarri
thanks!!
Esther Wouters
and what about sound, do you take sound with that camera as well? excellent sound