Born in Niha, Lebanon, Wadih El Safi started his artistic journey at the age of seventeen when he took part in a singing contest held by Lebanese Radio and was chosen the winner among fifty other competitors.
Wadih El Safi, a classically trained tenor, studied at the Beirut National Conservatory of Music. He became nationally known when, at seventeen, he won a vocal competition sponsored by the Lebanese Broadcasting Network. El Safi began composing and performing songs that drew upon his rural upbringing and love of traditional melodies, blended with an urban sound, and creating a new style of modernized Lebanese folk music
In 1947, El Safi traveled to Brazil, where he remained until 1950.
El Safi toured the world, singing in many languages, including Arabic, Syriac, French, Portuguese and Italian.
In the spring of 1973, El Safi recorded and released a vinyl single with the songs "Grishlah Idi" lyrics by Ninos Aho and "Iman Ya Zawna" (lyrics by Amanuel Salamon), first one in Western Syriac and second one in Eastern Syriac. The music arrangements were done by Nuri Iskandar and the songs were produced especially for an Aramean Festival, which occurred in the UNESCO building in Beirut at that time where El Safi participated as a singer.
El Safi has written over 3000 songs. He is well known for his mawawil (an improvised singing style) of 'ataba, mijana, and Abu el Zuluf. He has performed and recorded with many well-known Lebanese musicians, including Najwa Karam, Fairouz, and Sabah.
Wadih El Safi (وديع الصافي), the prominent Lebanese composer and singer of his time, often described as the "Voice of Lebanon" and responsible for the mark of distinction and popularity of the Lebanese musical sound. His name is synonymous with traditional Lebanese folklore. His tenor voice commends a unique beauty and evokes the images and sounds of Lebanese terrain. Wadie' grew up in a village in the mountains of Lebanon and later on moved to Beirut, where he began composing and performing music based on his folklore roots incorporating a new urban sound, which would be later described as the urbanization of the Lebanese folk music.
Recently, through his work with Jose Fernandes & Michel Elefteriades through Elefrecords, Wadih El Safi has explored new pathways for his music, exposing a new generation to his sound. Wadih El Safi & Jose Fernades have found great success with their arabic-flamenco fusion.
Ala El Baal Ya Asfouret El Nahrein
Wadih El Safi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
ع البال يا عصفورة النهرين
يا ملونة يا مكحلة العينين آه ع البال
ع البال يا عصفورة النهرين
يا ملونة يا مكحلة العينين
صار لي ع ها المفرق ثلاث إيام
وما كنت إستهدي ع بيتك وين يا عصفورة النهرين
صار لي ثلاث إيام وما كنت أعرف نام
حفرت خيال الشمس ع المفرق
ورف الحساسين اللي إجا تفرق
وما كنت إستهدي ع بيتك وين يا عصفورة النهرين
حفرت خيال الشمس ع المفرق
ورف الحساسين اللي إجا تفرق
وما كنت إستهدي ع بيتك وين
لا بحارة اللي فوقها ولا بحارة اللي تحتها ولا ع العين
تخمين بيتك صار ريف العين يا عصفورة النهرين
The song "Ala El Baal Ya Asfouret El Nahrein" by Wadih El Safi is a nostalgic lamentation about a lost love, represented by a bird that has flown away. The lyrics are addressed to the bird, which is described as colorful and adorned with kohl on its eyes. The repetition of "Ala El Baal" at the beginning of each stanza emphasizes the preoccupation with the bird, as it is constantly on the singer's mind.
The singer reveals that he has been separated from his beloved bird for three days, and he has not been able to find her. He describes how he has been restless and unable to sleep, haunted by the image of the sun setting at the crossroads where he last saw the bird. He wonders where she could be, as he has searched in all the neighborhoods and riversides, but to no avail. Despite his feelings of longing and despair, he still holds out hope that the bird will one day return to him.
The song, with its simple yet poignant lyrics, captures the universal theme of lost love and the longing for a cherished companion. It also showcases Wadih El Safi's emotive voice and the traditional Arabic music that he is known for.
Line by Line Meaning
ع البال، ع البال، ع البال
Constantly thinking, constantly thinking, constantly thinking
ع البال يا عصفورة النهرين
Constantly thinking of you, oh bird of the two rivers
يا ملونة يا مكحلة العينين آه ع البال
With your beauty and kohl-lined eyes always on my mind
صار لي ع ها المفرق ثلاث إيام
I've been at this crossroads for three days now
وما كنت إستهدي ع بيتك وين يا عصفورة النهرين
And I haven't been able to find my way to your home, oh bird of the two rivers
صار لي ثلاث إيام وما كنت أعرف نام
Three days have passed and I haven't been able to sleep
حفرت خيال الشمس ع المفرق
The sun's rays have dug into this crossroads
ورف الحساسين اللي إجا تفرق
And the feelings that emerged here were scattered
ما كنت إستهدي ع بيتك وين يا عصفورة النهرين
And I still can't find my way to your home, oh bird of the two rivers
لا بحارة اللي فوقها ولا بحارة اللي تحتها ولا ع العين
Neither in the upper neighborhood, nor in the lower neighborhood, nor on the eye (map)
تخمين بيتك صار ريف العين يا عصفورة النهرين
Trying to guess where your home is has become like searching for a needle in a haystack, oh bird of the two rivers
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Rahbani Brothers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind