Balti and Jimmy Haddad collaborate on the bittersweet ‘Allo’. The artist writes lyrics about homesickness alongside Jimmy Haddad, who shares composing duties. Their song asks unanswered questions to lost love and fading youth over a melancholic rhythm.
Released: May 28, 2022
Allo
Balti
Allo Lyrics English Translation by Balti
Balti compares himself to a wandering bird searching for direction in his translated words. The songwriter mentions gray hairs and treacherous seas to describe immigration struggles. A hopeful verse about planting roses promises future homecomings, softening the ache of displacement.
Allo Allo Allo ya omri wenekHello, hello, hello, my love, where are you?
Allo ya chababi wenekHello, my youth, where are you?
Allo ya el ghali winHello, dear one, where have you gone?
Allo Allo salemli al habibaHello, hello, give my regards to my beloved.
Aych bin nass gharibaI’m living among strangers,
Moch aref wokri winAnd I don’t know where my home is anymore.
Allo Allo Allo ya omri wenekHello, hello, hello, my love, where are you?
Allo ya chababi wenekHello, my youth, where are you?
Allo ya el ghali winHello, dear one, where have you gone?
Allo Allo salemli al habibaHello, hello, give my regards to my beloved.
Aych bin nass gharibaI’m living among strangers,
Moch aref wokri winAnd I don’t know where my home is anymore.
Allo ya habibti na’ref li talet ghibtiHello my love, I know I’ve been gone for too long.
El ayem dhekhou ala chibti wa chiba wallat chibetThe days mocked my aging, and my gray hair has multiplied.
Ma habbou tibtou nass tstanna fi khibtiThey didn’t appreciate my kindness; they’re just waiting for me to fail.
Wal arneb tal’at dhibti wa choufna minhoum khibetThe one I thought was harmless turned out to be a predator, and I’ve seen nothing but letdowns.
Allo ya el ghalia ech lazz chabeb ala ItaliaHello dear one, what forced our youth to head for ‘Italy’?
El bahr wa amwajou el alya wa gharkin wa gharkatThe sea has such high waves, and so many are drowning in it.
Wa hamama jalia dhe’t yemini wa chemaliI’m like a ‘wandering bird’; I’ve lost my way entirely.
Wa fekri ken fil amali el wahch kbor ya el akhwetMy mind was full of hopes, but this ‘aching loneliness’ has grown, my friends.
Allo Allo Allo ya omri wenekHello, hello, hello, my love, where are you?
Allo ya chababi wenekHello, my youth, where are you?
Allo ya el ghali winHello, dear one, where have you gone?
Allo Allo salemli al habibaHello, hello, give my regards to my beloved.
Aych bin nass gharibaI’m living among strangers,
Moch aref wokri winAnd I don’t know where my home is anymore.
Allo ya chababna hjerna ki tsakkar babnaHello to our youth; we left when every door was closed to us.
Ma arefna chkoun hbebnah wal safi mel khawwenWe couldn’t tell who our true friends were from the traitors.
Winek ya bledna hnebeha bketnaWhere are you, our homeland? We loved you, but you only brought us tears.
Nass ba’etna ma chratna ma yhibouch el ensenPeople sold us out instead of valuing us; they’ve got no love for humanity.
Allo el kbeida ghebna wal ardh b’idaHello ‘my dear soul’, we’ve been away, and home feels so far.
Hayem wa afkari chrida min onwen el onwenI’m wandering with scattered thoughts, moving from place to place.
Wa hya jdida ma ydoun el dhiq wa mdidaI’m seeking a new life; this hardship won’t last forever.
Narja’ nizra’ wrida wa ynawwar el bostenI’ll return to plant a rose, and the garden will bloom again.
Allo Allo Allo ya omri wenekHello, hello, hello, my love, where are you?
Allo ya chababi wenekHello, my youth, where are you?
Allo ya el ghali winHello, dear one, where have you gone?
Allo Allo salemli al habibaHello, hello, give my regards to my beloved.
Aych bin nass gharibaI’m living among strangers,
Moch aref wokri winAnd I don’t know where my home is anymore.
Allo Allo Allo ya omri wenekHello, hello, hello, my love, where are you?
Allo ya chababi wenekHello, my youth, where are you?
Allo ya el ghali winHello, dear one, where have you gone?
Allo Allo salemli al habibaHello, hello, give my regards to my beloved.
Aych bin nass gharibaI’m living among strangers,
Moch aref wokri winAnd I don’t know where my home is anymore.
Allo Music Video
‘Allo’ stands as Balti’s powerful ode to exile and perseverance. The English lyrics of this track express the migrant experience while clinging to dreams of rootedness.