MC Swat - Freedom of Expression
حرّية التعبير - ام سي سوات
Libya
Released December 16, 2011
Big thanks to @TasnimQ for translating the song into English and introducing me to it!
Arabic Lyrics still a work-in-progress - feel free to help!
MC Swat's interview with Mercy Corps
Arabic Lyrics still a work-in-progress - feel free to help!
MC Swat's interview with Mercy Corps
ضد النظام وضدّ الظلم وضدّ الفساد...
في الوقت اللي ما تملك حاجة والتماسيح تعبئ البلاد
تبي خيالك الثورة نجحت بس حتشلّل من الفساد
الأخضر والمنظر كلهم ــــــــ كيفما هو
ما زال العقل متخضّر وخلّوهم اليوم ــــ عندهم القوّة
ما ليش هو ــــــ مع الكلاش زيهم بوليس
ــــــ في الشارع ــــــ كان عريس
وفي الوقت اللي الثوّار ــــــــــــــ هم
ـــــــــــــــ هم فرحانين بـــــ
تحسبوهم ـــ الغلط ـــــــ
دام انا كرهي لهم أكثر من واج
أكثر من كرهي لمعمّر أكثر من كرفي للشرطة
ــــــ البلاد ـــــــــــــــ للسلطة
ما اني عارف ـــــــ مقصوص
بس اللي عارف ـــــ ـــــــــــ دروس
ـــــ فكرة ـــــــ ألوف
اذا بالك ما تقدر تكتب الكلمة من ظلمه تكتب حروف
مالا شوف مشواري كل التاريخ أسطورة
فكرة الشعب الليبي يخذه بالصوت والصورة
يا اللي يخذه يا حكومة رأسي برأسك
اللي ــــــ عندنا صورة نقوله انا نلعب رأسك
يا عدو واقف انا آسف ما اني مش ساكت
على اللي صاير قدّامي في بلادي لازم نحكي ولاد
لو نطلع صوتي لو كان حاف هدؤء بالضوء
الشارع بس الحق الشارع هو اللي محسوب
ــــــ معمر ـــــــ
ــــــــــ في كلّ مكان
ـــــ تلعب نلعب ــــــــ نلعب
ـــــــ زي اللي فيه نلعب
ـــــــ انا شابّ مجرّب بس نملك حقّ
نكون معارض للدولة لذلك ما يلقي زي اللي حدّ
في رايّ انا حرّ مصيري ندير اللي نديره
لو عندي انفاس ـــــــــ لك
معنا الحقّ ومعنا الباطل اللي نستقبل الكل
ـــــــــــــــــــــ
ـــــــــ الدولة حاكمة بالكلاش
ـــــــــ هو مواطن نقتله فيه ستّ عش
ــــــــــــ اخوي احلى من قبل
بش يعرف العالم كله ـــــــــــ
ــــــــ وين الكسر بالجبل
محسوبة ــــــ من أهلي قبل
ما تطفو على دم الشهيد اللي ضحّى بالبلاد
اللي ــــــــــ
ـــــــــ
ــــــ من قبل ــــــ
ـــــــ تحت الصرف والدولار
ــــــــــ جنب الاحتجار
ــــــــــــ
عشرين فائدة ـــــــــ
ـــــــــ بالحقيقة ــــــــ
ولا في بالهش ـــــــــــ
ـــــ دكتاتوي للسلطان
الخداع وـــــــ بالتضحية للقربان
لذلك اغتال اللواء لذلك اغتال الحقيقة
لذلك ردّد سيناريو مالكوك اكس في أمريكا
لذلك نوقف نحب نقول لك شيء للتعلّم
والفساد وصل في الدولة والسبب هو المجلس كله
والسبب مش بس في غوقة والسبب مش بس في تربل
السبب في عقول الشعب اللي عقله متهيأ بش يستقبل
مش متهيأ بش يرسل عشان هكي يستقبل
كلما يطالب واحد بحقه يخاف الشعب ويوخر
يخاف ويبدأ يستنكر - اتقول يحرّف القرآن
يقولوله ذنب واستغفر - اعتذر من السلطان
سامحونا عيل الشيطان ماتحطش عقلك بعقله
عشان هكي يبقى غلطان عشان صبا طالب بحقه
يبقى ـــــ في افكار
او متشوّش ما فاهمش بس أعطيني ــــــــ
كل منّا لنا فكرة لنا حرّية في التعبير
ـــــ المواطن حرّ ــــــــــــ لو عندك تحقير
لأنّ حرّية التعبير ــــــ صير
ـــــ نفس الطريق
بس اذا كلنا ـــــــــ
ــــــــــ خائن يبقى الحرّية بايعة
ــــ الثورة ــــــ
ـــــ لأنّ الشعب الليبي ــــــ
من أوّل الثورة معناش في خوف معناش في حيوط
معناش وقف قدامها ما فيش حواجز ما فيهاش سكوت
ما فيش هذا اسمه السيد ـــــــ
ـــــــــ العبيد
ــــ بس ـــــــ
ـــــ بالثاني أكيد
ليبيا ـــــــــ
حرية التعبير في ليبيا في خطر
لازم تفهم انه مش ـــــ مع الدولة ما انا ضدّ الدولة
ليبا مع امسي سوات
that's the record ya'll
Against injustice, against oppression, against corruption...
At a time when you have nothing and the crocodiles are swarming the country
You want to believe the revolution has succeeded but corruption will cripple it
They took away the green and left the scene as it is
The mind is still "green," and today they've let them become empowered
What else would you call these opportunists with guns, acting like the police,
in the street, acting like a gang
At a time when the revolutionaries have returned home and done their duty,
you see the opportunists swaggering around, happy with their loot.
So who will hold them to account? Wrong will always be there to be fought.
As for me, I'm not envious. I hate them.
More than my hatred for Muammar, more than my hatred for the police
What I hate most is the people who become self-important when they get into power
This is my instinct, this is God's gift
What I know is that you should learn from the past
They say if you have an idea, you have thousands
And you can't write a word, without writing letters
Then look, all I'm saying is that history is our legend,
a thought for the Libyan people to take in with sound and pictures
To take in despite the government - Government, its me against you,
until the picture is clear, I'm saying it, and I am standing here
I have not blindfolded myself and I will not be quiet
about what is happening in front of me in my country
I have to talk and I have to make my voice heard even if it is barely heard
The street, the truth is the street is what counts
In the past, between brackets, in Muammar's time
The opportunists walked around swaggering
And the writing was on the walls "The Opportunists Are Everywhere" (Play on Green Book)
If you have a green mind, you have free reign, impose your will, spread your influence
Now if you want to play with us, come down to the street
I am just one young man, but I have the right to be opposed to the state
No one infringe on my right to have my opinions, I am free to decide my fate
Do what you want until the last breath I will damn you
We have right and we have wrong
And those who try to drag us into the mire, I tell you and bring my name into it
Who wanted to believe it?
The state is run by dogs
Remain alert, my brother citizen
The revolution will not be killed in mid December. The revolution was clear, let it be better than before
So the world knows what you feel and what you want
Just tell me, what is ailing you, where are the breaks?
The sum has already been calculated
The price has already been paid by the people of the graves
By the blood of the martyr who sacrificed for his country
Repeat: For the one who sacrificed for his country
Let his country work for him, work for education and health
Instead of being governed by the same crowd who governed our country before
What is different? Only the talk is different.
And the bills are coming in, pump oil, stash gold, arm the closest to you.
What? You think the revolutionaries' sell-by date is over?
There's no use to you anymore, they only want those who have stopped and decided to keep their mouths shut.
No one wants to hear the truth, they tricked them
And who cares what will happen in the country
A hollow change of a dictator for a sultan
Trickery and deceit now with sacrificial animals
For that reason, they assassinated the commander (Abdel Fattah Younes)
For that reason they assassinated truth
For that reason they are repeating Malcolm X's scenario
For that reason I am standing here to tell you what is the reason behind
Corruption is re-infecting the country and the cause is the whole council [the NTC].
The reason isn't only Ghoga and the reason isn't only Terbil.
The reason lies in the minds of those whose minds aren't ready to receive
and aren't ready to send [i.e., their minds are closed]. For that reason, they accept that whenever anyone demands his rights, the people become afraid and back away -
they're afraid and they begin to deny [what's happening]. You say they are falsifying the Quran.
They say, "You have sinned. Ask for forgiveness. Apologize to the sultan."
The children of Satan advise you not to pit yourself against them
And if you do, you're wrong, because you're standing up demanding you're rights
Because you criticize the rulers
Or am I wrong? Maybe I don't understand anything
But despite that listen to me, we all have ideas
We all have the freedom to express them
The citizens are free in their opinion, even if you don't agree
Because freedom of expression guarantees, even if just the smallest part, that we are walking down the path of change
and that we are continuing on the same path
But if you tell me that anyone in the opposition, anyone with an opinion different than yours is a traitor, then say goodbye to freedom
And then why have we had this revolution?
And then we will see a repetition of the revolution at the first available opportunity
Why? Because the Libyans said from the start of the revolution
No more fear, no more limits, no more walls in front of me
There is nothing called silence anymore, there is no one called sir anymore
You've exhausted us with your airs of majesty
Try telling us "Go back to being slaves."
I won't add anything more, repetition is only for those who need it.
Because those who didn't understand from the first time will have to understand us once again.
Libya, nothing is guaranteed
Freedom of speech in Libya is in danger
You have to understand
That disagreeing with the state does not mean you are against the state
Libya
