Didine Canon 16 and Samara deliver a powerful collaboration in ‘Babel.’ Khireddine Youcef writes the lyrics and composes the melody. The song takes listeners on a journey through raw urban struggles and resilience.
Released: February 20, 2023
Babel
Didine Canon 16 | Samara
Babel Lyrics English Translation by Didine Canon 16 | Samara
The songwriter mentions an airport and a grounded plane to describe feeling trapped. Lines like ‘My grave is halfway visible on the radar’ show the constant danger and weight of their reality. Didine Canon 16 and Samara bring these intense emotions to life with their voices.
Fateh aayni dakhel matarI’ve opened my eyes inside the airport,
Tayyara menh ma tarat habboh ydiroh aleyna hesarthe plane didn’t take off because they tried to trap us here.
Les bâtards kanou yeaytou lnaThose ‘ba#tards’ used to call out to us,
Ala ydeyna tabet p#ta chhal menat our hands, so many ‘p#tes’ have changed their ways.
Kabri nesfo fouq radarHalf of my grave is visible on the radar.
Faible mmm entay taklikYou’re weak, and this life will consume you.
Hamel saison jus fi jmaaeCarrying the weight of the seasons with the crew,
Tedkhel l saff eddowr gawelyou join the line and wait for your turn to speak.
N#k b#k la c#c swaq‘F#ck’ you, the ‘c#ke’ is all over the streets.
Babel hadou hadrou el jenn beladThis is Babel, they’ve summoned the spirits of this land.
Maa en nefs kentqatelI’ve been at war with my own soul,
Elli tah w nad zad hawelbut the one who falls and rises just tries harder.
Akrobi tarou drousThey’re closing in, their teeth are bared.
Dedicace l nass el jwarThis is dedicated to the people in the neighborhood.
Klabi fouq klafi muhdarMy hounds are ready on the rooftops.
Tekhder bel qintar la bl#nche hnaWe’re moving ‘wh#te’ powder by the ton here.
Sahbi hadou machi bacharMy friend, these people aren’t even human.
Onsoriya fi dammi zadetThe racism has only fueled the fire in my blood.
Yeghraq fi dmou lli ktharHe’s drowning in a sea of his own blood,
Mech tdamess kifiya khadyou can’t hide the truth of what you’ve taken.
Flm zar jil wra’ ma nkhadA generation passed by like a movie we never watched.
Belad el habsa aali sourThis land is a prison with walls built high,
Kifiya dowr ma tqoulha b khadthe cycle continues, don’t just say it with your lips.
Balli nzit omri mech khadI’ve forgotten my past, I’m not looking back.
Tekteb b trabi jik dowrYou write in the dust until your turn comes,
W mech el flouss taaali fikand it’s not the money that makes you great.
Ech el m’ad kan el chikh etmanna fikWhat’s the point if the elders lost hope in you?
El icha hraqet b yedi yowm yetbekki fikI burned this life with my own hands while it made you cry.
W houm metbaqat biyalou el somm mech andi fikThey’re surrounded by poison, but I don’t care about you.
Fateh aayni dakhel matarI’ve opened my eyes inside the airport,
Tayyara menh ma tarat habboh ydiroh aleyna hesarthe plane didn’t take off because they tried to trap us here.
Les bâtards kanou yeaytou lnaThose ‘ba#tards’ used to call out to us,
Ala ydeyna tabet p#ta chhal menat our hands, so many ‘p#tes’ have changed their ways.
Kabri nesfo fouq radarMy grave is halfway visible on the radar.
WiliOh, my.
Fateh aayni dakhel matarI’ve opened my eyes inside the airport,
Tayyara menh ma tarat habboh ydiroh aleyna hesarthe plane didn’t take off because they tried to trap us here.
Les bâtards kanou yeaytou lnaThose ‘ba#tards’ used to call out to us,
Ala ydeyna tabet p#ta chhal menat our hands, so many ‘p#tes’ have changed their ways.
Kabri nesfo fouq radarI’m cruising way above the radar.
Ah chhal khwit fi habs er roumiOh, how much time I’ve wasted in those foreign prison cells.
Chhal khwit fi habs el herrassHow much I’ve lost behind the guards’ iron bars.
Maya nizoum qdida qlemI’ve got my rhythm and an old pen.
Hdech law jelmaha mjamla matraachEleven of them, even if they gathered together, wouldn’t see a thing.
W qal li wsal jomla mbtassHe told me he reached the end of a broken path,
Aama tched w foussi fi es saaacaught blindly with my weapon ready in an instant.
Jrid ed dunya sahbi winWhere is the legacy of this world, my friend?
W kan mtawel bassi qoul ech andi fihIf my troubles drag on, tell me what’s left for me.
Chnot tetsawwar keda hayim w rjel aybWhat do you imagine while wandering among dishonorable men?
Ichtaf harb bqaf ya rouss w ki khabib ki khabibThe war is raging, and I’m a warrior with the spirit of Khabib.
Nekhaf nchouf rouhi fi el miroirI’m afraid to look at myself in the mirror,
Nchouf el abd el ghaddarbecause I see the shadow of a treacherous man.
Kho kagouli khalf et tharMy brother, wearing a hood behind my back,
Nekhaf nchouf rouhi fi el miroirI’m afraid to look at myself in the mirror.
Ech chyatin biya lli daretThe demons that have surrounded me,
Baato el khit bali malaksold me out while I thought they were angels.
Waqtach taawlou taawlou on est la sahbiWhen did they ever doubt? We’re still here, my friend.
Bani es sah matestahelch khel a el flou a el flouBuilding on truth, you don’t deserve this blurry chaos.
Selaa tjouz fi el benz koulou w klowThe goods move in the Benz, and they’ve consumed it all.
Tbaana bel maps tahkem gher el flouTracking us on the maps, but only the haze remains.
Fateh aayni dakhel matarI open my eyes inside the airport terminal,
Tayyara menh ma tarat habboh ydiroh aleyna hesarbut no planes are taking off; they want to keep us under siege.
Les bâtards kanou yeaytou lnaThose ‘cow#rds’ used to call out to us,
Ala ydeyna tabet p#ta chhal menso many ‘sh#meless’ ones have learned their lesson at our hands.
Kabri nesfo fouq radarI’m cruising way above the radar.
WiliWoe to them…
Fateh aayni dakhel matarI open my eyes inside the airport terminal,
Tayyara menh ma tarat habboh ydiroh aleyna hesarbut no planes are taking off; they want to keep us under siege.
Les bâtards kanou yeaytou lnaThose ‘cow#rds’ used to call out to us,
Ala ydeyna tabet p#ta chhal menso many ‘sh#meless’ ones have learned their lesson at our hands.
Kabri nesfo fouq radarI’m cruising way above the radar.
Fateh aayni dakhel matarI open my eyes inside the airport terminal,
Tayyara menh ma tarat habboh ydiroh aleyna hesarbut no planes are taking off; they want to keep us under siege.
Les bâtards kanou yeaytou lnaThose ‘cow#rds’ used to call out to us,
Ala ydeyna tabet p#ta chhal menso many ‘sh#meless’ ones have learned their lesson at our hands.
Kabri nesfo fouq radarI’m cruising way above the radar.
Swaq elli sayeqThe hustle is what’s driving him,
Wala lih sauverand there’s no way to save him.
Babel Music Video
The lyrics of ‘Babel’ highlight the fight against oppression. Didine Canon 16 and Samara star in this gripping track.