Nour and Nour Helmi deliver a touching story about identity and pressure in their song Nesety Nafsek. The lyrics come from a collaboration between Hadi Birjakli, Nour Helmi, and a team of poets. Kai Tsao and Paul Lorton join them to create the soft melody.
Released: March 26, 2026
Nesety Nafsek
Nour | Nour Helmi
Lyricist
Hadi Birjakli, Nour Helmi & Others
Composer
Kai Tsao, Paul Lorton & Others
Nesety Nafsek Meaning & Lyrics (Nour | Nour Helmi)
Nour Helmi starts the song by recounting a lifetime of feeling different and isolated. She describes the specific weight of family expectations and the desire to travel. The vocalist reveals the central accusation, ‘They sit and say you’ve forgotten who you are’ (Yo’odou yo’oulou neseti nafsek), showing how others perceive her individuality as a loss of self.
Men soghri bahawel afakkarSince my childhood, I’ve been trying to figure out,
Ezay aish wahidahow to live all alone.
W elli medaye’ni aktarAnd what bothers me even more,
Afkari dayman ba’idais that my thoughts are always so distant.
Shakli gher el ba’i anaI look different from the rest,
Mesh aarfa hatta adari anaand I don’t even know how to hide it.
Wala aarfa aabbarI don’t know how to express myself,
Mashakli tebda tekbarand my problems are starting to grow.
Yo’odou yo’oulou neseti nafsekThey sit and say you’ve forgotten who you are,
Fakra nafsek men el aganebthinking you’re one of the foreigners.
Rouhi eishi eishet ahlekGo and live the life of your family.
Toul omri kan nefsi asafferAll my life, I’ve just wanted to travel.
Yo’odou yo’oulou neseti nafsekThey sit and say you’ve forgotten who you are,
Fakra nafsek men el aganebthinking you’re one of the foreigners.
Rouhi eishi eishet ahlekGo and live the life of your family.
Toul omri kan nefsi asafferAll my life, I’ve just wanted to travel.
Nefsi aish men gher ma agazefI want to live without taking risks,
Beybossouli bestighrabbut they look at me with surprise.
Mesh ayza anzel w akarrerI don’t want to step out and repeat,
Ehsas beygeeli bestimrarthis feeling that constantly comes to me.
W etmanet erreda menkomAnd I’ve hoped for your approval,
Neb’a sohab warouni betkomthat we could be friends and you’d show me your home.
Mesh asdi haga da asloubiI don’t mean any harm, this is just my style.
Mesh lazem tkhawafouniYou don’t have to scare me.
Yo’odou yo’oulou neseti nafsekThey sit and say you’ve forgotten who you are,
Fakra nafsek men el aganebthinking you’re one of the foreigners.
Rouhi eishi eishet ahlekGo and live the life of your family.
Toul omri kan nefsi asafferAll my life, I’ve just wanted to travel.
Yerouh w yeegi wa’tTime comes and goes,
W ana lesa mesh aarfaniand I still don’t know myself.
Klami mesh mafhoumMy words aren’t understood,
Ashouf noss had taniand I see a part of someone else.
Adam entema’i yedoumMy lack of belonging is permanent,
Toul omri kan nefsi agazefand all my life, I’ve wanted to take a risk.
The translation of ‘Nesety Nafsek’ lyrics builds a strong statement about personal identity against cultural expectations. The Arabic track offers a warm, relatable narrative for anyone who has ever felt misunderstood.
