Yemken Habbaytak Lyrics Meaning: Hiba Tawaji Live À L’Olympia | Hiba Tawaji
Hiba Tawaji brings warmth to ‘Yemken Habbaytak,’ a song from her album Hiba Tawaji Live à L’Olympia. The Rahbani brothers, Ghadi and Oussama, write the lyrics, while they join forces with Pierre Luzy, Oscar Ferran, and Guillaume Saix to compose the melody. The track tells the story of a fleeting encounter at a train station, filled with unspoken words and longing.
Released: May 29, 2025
YEMKEN HABBAYTAK
Hiba Tawaji • From “Hiba Tawaji Live à L’Olympia”
Lyricist
Ghadi Rahbani, Oussama Rahbani
Composer
Ghadi Rahbani, Oussama Rahbani, Pierre Luzy, Oscar Ferran, Guillaume Saix
YEMKEN HABBAYTAK Lyrics Translation Hiba Tawaji | Hiba Tawaji Live à L’Olympia
The lyrics writer describes a moment of silent connection: ‘Only our eyes spoke, I pictured you in distant lands.’ Hiba Tawaji sings of a missed opportunity, where two strangers share a glance but never exchange words. The imagery of a train station and vanishing smoke adds a poignant touch to the narrative.
Aala el mahatta lamahtu etalla feya kteerAt the station, I caught him staring at me quite a bit.
El hawa b oyouno tayyar shaari el hareerThe breeze in his eyes made my silky hair fly.
El oyoun eshta’ou yethaku men doun kalamOur eyes longed to laugh without saying a word.
Ma edrou etla’ou tarou b raff el hamamThey couldn’t meet; they flew away like a flock of pigeons.
Lafte gharibe fiha eshaq w asrarA strange look filled with longing and secrets.
Ana haddo qaribe laken sho elli sarI was right beside him, but I don’t know what happened.
Had-dukhne elyet w semet sawt el safeerThe smoke rose, and I heard the whistle’s call.
El mahatta bser’a fedyet w sar yeqwa el hadeerThe station quickly emptied as the roar grew louder.
Bein el dukhan reht w falletYou left and disappeared into the smoke.
Ma sawt el tran ghibt ekhtafetYou vanished with the sound of the train.
W yareit hesseitI wish you’d felt it too.
Ah ana ma saaltak esmak enta weinOh, I didn’t ask your name or where you’re from.
Ana ma hakeitak wahdon hakeyo el eineinI didn’t talk to you; only our eyes spoke.
B belad gharibe rasamtak hobbi elli daaI pictured you in distant lands as the love I’d lost.
Yemken habbeitak hareb menni l wein ah ah ahMaybe I loved you; where are you running away from me?
Ah ahAh, ah.
Qollak el sodfe qasda tejmaana sawaTell me, did chance mean to bring us together?
B nefs el ghorfe rjaana qaadna sawaWe sat together again in the same ‘compartment’.
A sekke wahde tlaana b tran el hadeedWe boarded the iron train on the same track.
A sa’a wahde msheina a leil jadeedWe set off at the same hour into a new night.
B eido el jareede b eido el tanye ghalyounIn one hand he held a newspaper, in the other a pipe.
Oyouno ajmal qaside she’ra mesh mawzounHis eyes are the most beautiful poem, written in ‘free verse’.
B lahza wsalna nzalna aala el raseefIn an instant, we arrived and stepped onto the platform.
Bein el rokkab daana w daa feya el raseefWe got lost among the passengers, and I lost him on the platform.
Bein el dukhan reht w falletYou left and disappeared into the smoke.
Ma sawt el tran ghibt ekhtafetYou vanished with the sound of the train.
W yareit hesseitI wish you’d felt it too.
Ah ana ma saaltak esmak enta men weinOh, I didn’t ask your name or where you’re from.
Ana ma hakeitak wahdon hakeyo el eineinI didn’t talk to you; only our eyes spoke.
B belad gharibe rasamtak hobbi elli daaI pictured you in distant lands as the love I’d lost.
Yemken habbeitak hareb menni l wein ah ah ahMaybe I loved you; where are you running away from me?
The meaning behind ‘Yemken Habbaytak’ is the bittersweet beauty of what could have been. Hiba Tawaji’s performance in this Arabic track captures the essence of fleeting love.
