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.
La Inta Radhi
Wadih El Safi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
علمونى اندم على الماضى وجراحه
اللى شفته قبل ما تشوفك عينيا عمر ضايع يحسبوا ازاى عليا
أنت عمرى .
أنت عمرى اللى ابتدى بنورك صباحه و أنت أنت عمرى
رجعونى عينيك لايامى اللى راحوا علمونى اندم على الماضى وجراحه
اللى شفته قبل ما تشوفك عينيا عمر ضايع يحسبوا ازاى عليا
أنت أنت عمرى اللى ابتدى بنورك صباحه و أنت أنت عمرى قد أيه من عمرى من قبلك راح وعدى يا حبيبى
The lyrics to Wadih El Safi's song La Inta Radhi speak of a longing to relive the past and the regret of not appreciating it at the time. The singer asks for their eyes to take them back to the days that have passed and to teach them to repent for the pain they have caused in the past. They reflect on the wasted time and lost opportunities before their beloved came into their life. The chorus expresses the sentiment that the beloved is the singer's life, beginning with the light they bring to each morning.
The second verse delves deeper into the regret and longing for the past, highlighting that the singer had never experienced true joy or tasted the sweetness of life before their beloved. They only began to love now, and every joy they yearned for was only a figment of their imagination until they met their beloved. The final lines of the chorus repeat the sentiment that the beloved has given the singer life, bringing light and meaning to their existence.
Overall, the song speaks of the transformative power of love and the desire to relive the past with newfound appreciation and joy.
Line by Line Meaning
رجعونى عينيك لايامى اللى راحوا .
Take me back to the days that have passed with your eyes.
علمونى اندم على الماضى وجراحه
Teach me to regret the past and its wounds.
اللى شفته قبل ما تشوفك عينيا عمر ضايع يحسبوا ازاى عليا
The wasted years before I saw you, how could they be counted against me?
أنت عمرى .
You are my life.
أنت عمرى اللى ابتدى بنورك صباحه و أنت أنت عمرى
You are my life that began with your light in the morning and you are still my life.
قد أيه من عمرى من قبلك راح وعدى يا حبيبى
How much of my life has passed before you, my love?
قد أيه من عمرى راح ولا شاف القلب فرحة واحدة ولا داق فى الدنيا طعم الجراح
How much of my life has passed without my heart tasting the joy of even one thing or feeling the bitterness of pain?
قبلك ابتديت دلوقت بس احب عمرى
I only started living now because I love you, my life.
ابتديت دلوقت لا العمر يجرى كل فرحة اشتقها من قبللك خيالى التقاها فى نور عينيك
I only started living now and my imagined joys converge in the light of your eyes.
قلبى وفكرى ليه ليله ليه ما قابلتش هواك يا حبيبى بدرى
My heart and mind wonder why I didn't meet you early, my love.
قد أيه عمرى من قبلك راح وعدى يا حبيبى
How much of my life has passed before you, my love?
قدأيه من عمرى راح ولا شاف من قبلك فرحة واحدة ولا داق من قبلك طعم الجراح
How much of my life has passed without my heart tasting the joy of even one thing or feeling the bitterness of pain before you?
Contributed by Blake H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.