Wust El Balad (Arabic: وسط البلد) is an Egyptian Soft rock band, founded in… Read Full Bio ↴Wust El Balad (Arabic: وسط البلد) is an Egyptian Soft rock band, founded in Cairo in 1999 by 2 of its current members, Ahmed Omran and Hany Adel. Currently the band consists of 8 members.
The band is considered to be the most successful rock act in Egypt, and the whole Arab world, as it's the first band in the region to gain such a huge success and acclaim such a large following.
The band has finally released it debut album under the Egyptian label Star Gate Records, in 2007.
The band's name in Arabic means "Downtown".
Later after Omran and Adel formed the band, 6 more members joined, each with his own musical background, blending it all together. Their first appearance as Wust El Balad was at Al Mashrabeya Gallery, followed by their first paid performance at the Berlitz Language Center. Ever since that moment, Wust El Balad was a regular performer at all galleries, cultural centers, bars, special events and hotels, and even abroad. Their music blends the Egyptian traditional style with the modern musical touch. They mix music played with purely oriental instruments, such as oud, with western styles of music, such as those played with "guitar" and "Piano."
Their vision then was to reach the average person that can't afford to hear them in bars or galleries, and so they were the first band to play in the Egyptian street, experiencing one of the most amazing concerts, playing in Al Alfi Street to the local community during the French festival "Les Français aiment l'Egypte."
They have also played in Bagdad street in 2005 in the celebration of Heliopolis's 100th anniversary, and ever since then, they play there every year as a celebration of the Spring.

Wust el balad
Wust El Balad Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

فات كام سنة
من عمرنا
من عمر فرقة اتكونت بس ليها كام سنة
شفنا كتير
مع بعضنا
بس زي ماحنا شفنا
انتو شفتوا زينا
شفنا ايه. ف وسط البلد

وعرفنا مين. ف وسط البلد
شفنا المسافر والمهاجر
والقريب والبعيد والمثقف والعنيد
شفنا اللي مبدع واللي فاكر انه مبدع
شفنا عمة وجلابية
شفنا طرحة ومشربية
شفنا بدلة وجينز وحريم أجنبية
خيلاتية . فنانين على فلاحين
بشوات على شحااتين
م الصعيد و بحراوية

(موال)
شفنا ايه. وعرفنا مين

Overall Meaning

These lyrics are from the song "Wust el Balad" by the Egyptian band Wust El Balad. The song talks about the band's experience and tells the story of how they came together and what they have seen and learned from the people they have encountered in the city center. The lyrics begin by saying that it's been many years since their formation, and they have seen a lot together. They have seen everything that the city center has to offer, and by extension, so have their listeners.

The lyrics describe the people they have come across in the city center, from travelers to immigrants, the educated to the stubborn, the talented to those who think they are and those who wear traditional attire. The band has encountered a diverse group of people, from farmers to artists, people from rural and coastal areas, and even those who are struggling financially.

The chorus repeats the question, what have we seen and who have we learned about? It's an open-ended question that can be interpreted as the band wanting to learn more about themselves and the world around them. The song is a reflection of the band's journey so far and a tribute to the people who have influenced them.

Overall, the lyrics of "Wust el Balad" celebrate diversity, culture, and the richness of human experiences.

Line by Line Meaning

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It's been how many years

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Since we were young

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Since a band was formed but it was only for a few years

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We've seen a lot

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Together

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But as much as we've seen

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You've seen people like us

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We've seen everything in downtown

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And we learned who was who in downtown

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We've seen travelers and immigrants