Boikutt - Letter from Boikutt

Boikutt - Letter from Boikutt

مقاطعة - رسالة من مقاطعة

Palestine

Released on March 17, 2010

 Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVMMq-lcBw0

Lyrics courtesy of Rayya El Zain, Boikutt, and Loubna Bilali in Shahadat's Winter 2012 issue (16 professionally translated Arabic rap songs with English and Arabic side-by-side!)

كلمات رسالة من مقاطعة بالعربية

بقرأ في الجريدة زفت شوارع جديدة
إزالة مطبات وكثير أشياء هيك مفيدة
أشخاص مستفيدة دعم من هون
ومن هون منظمات بس الحرية بعيدة
مقاطعة مستوطنات تعون الضفة الغربية؟
وطنية، حصرية، إدعائية
طب وفلسطين التاريخية؟
مع لأساس كانت القدس عاصمة الثقافة العربية

بس كلو حكي سياسية للشعب
احنا نتحمل الشغل والتعب والوضع صعب
اقنعونا إن كل شيء تمام
وبقدر أعيش حياة عادية زي في الأفلام
على أم بي سي ١، ٢، ٣، ٤ إلخ
كون منيح وبتنزل عليك المصاري زخّ
نصيحة من أخ لأخ خليك مستقل
لأن اللعبة إنلعب فإبعد عن الفخ

خليهم يقعدو يستنو الدعم ليموتو
يلفلفو داخل الجدار لحد ما يفوتو
في متاهات بمسافات مش محددة
مجددة لتوسع التوسع مش مهدّدة
إنتهاك احتلال بس مش على الكلّ
في ناس في فلسطين هون حياتهم زي الفلّ
مش عارف شو بيفكر شكله مش داري
شيء يوم حنروح كل الدكاكين هي حتسكر

سلام

English lyrics for "Letter from Boikutt"

I’m reading in the paper about roads newly paved,
speed bumps removed, and a lot of other useful stuff (yes, very!)
Certain individuals benefit. Funding from here
and there. Organizations are plentiful but freedom is far away.
A boycott of settlements around the West Bank?
A propagandistic, exclusivist nationalism.
But what about historical Palestine?
I thought Jerusalem was supposed to be the “capital of Arab culture“?

But it’s all political speeches for the people.
We put up with the work and the exhaustion and the situation is tough.
Try to convince us that everything’s fine.
and that I can lead a normal life like in the movies.
On MBC, one, two, three, four, et-cetera.
Be good and money will rain down on you.
Advice from one brother to another: stay independent
because the games are being played, so steer clear of the trap.

Let them wait for foreign aid until they die.
Spinning in circles within the apartheid wall until they enter
into unlimited mazes with undefined spaces
that are reinvented to fit settlement expansion that's un-threatened. 
Violation, occupation, but not for everyone!
There are people here in Palestine living “the good life.“
I don’t know what he’s thinking. It seems like he doesn’t know
that one day we’ll be gone and all these shops will close.
 

Peace

Ramallah Underground - From the Cave

Ramallah Underground - From the Cave

رام الله تحت الأرض - من الكهف

Palestine

Released in 2007

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKqzqkpUY9A

Click here to download the mp3

Many thanks to Chris at Arabic Song Lyrics in Translation for finding the lyrics, doing the translation, and letting me use both on my site. 

Full lyrics and translation below the jump...

HOOK #1
بدهم يجوعوا الأهالي لأنو الناس لما يجوعو ما بوعودو يفكروا بالمقاومة

STORMTRAP
نازل العب بالموت , بدي اعرف ايش عدد الموت هون
مش سامع ولا صوت, اطفي التلفون اسأل لأنو ولا حد سائل
سواءاً سياسي أو دوبلوماسي , قاعدين ع هالكراسي وبتحدثوا
بروحوا بحوطوا روسهم و بتمددو , والبيوت في لبنان و غزة عم يتهدموا
اجا الوقت نرفع بعبوص لكل العالم لأنو راح يضلو يحكي وعمرو ما حيعمل
فئيش بدنا نضلنا نقنع و نستنا بتمنى , بس عالفاضي من زمان نسييو عنا
ساعة بتمسك حالك لما تشوف قدامك , اللي قامك واللي شالك
مش مستغرب اذا افكار جهنمية عم بدور ببالك
نازل بتنادي عالدنيا بس الدنيا نامت , وحتى اذا قامت ما حتسمع كلامك
ها! ما حتسمع كلامك
هون يوم معاك مية عليك , حواجز حواليك , كلبشات ع ايديك
قولي شو سويت , مابدي فوت بالحيط ياريت
بس انا فايت هيك هيك , حياتي عجل بسكليت
وهلأ فلت الجنزير اجا الوقت ادعس بنزين
ابدا شد ابدا مد حكيي , لكل النواحي , لأنو كلماتي سلاحي.

HOOK #1
بدهم يجوعوا الأهالي لأنو الناس لما يجوعو ما بوعودو يفكروا بالمقاومة

BOIKUTT
واحد واحد اثنين اثنين ثلاثة ثلاثة عم يمحونا
هات لننزل عال ملاجئ قبل ما يشوفونا
بقصوفونا وين ما روحنا بس بحياتهم ما بطحونا
صامدون لأخر لحظة لصواريخكم ايصابونا
و رؤساء العرب سابونا تركونا و هربوا لعند عدونا
لأنو ما قدروا يعدونا , وعدونا بالمستقبل بس شوف لوين جابونا
 ٢٠٠٧ عالم بمشي دوغري و احنا فجرونا , جوعونا,بدهم ينسونا
قعدنا سنين نبني و اجو فجأة هيك هدونا , هددونا و خوفونا
بالديمقراطية سممونا,حتى نعيش حياة طبيعية ما خلونا
حطونا عخط النار ونسفونا دمرونا نشفولنا دمنا
كل هاد و لسا ما خلصونا من همنا.

HOOK #2 (x3)
بحاول اطنش بس السياسة بتشدني بقولها افلتي ما بدي
بتقولي انا جزء من حياتك مش حتقدر تمشي ضدي
!مش حتقدر تمشي ضدي

HOOK #1
They want to starve the population because when the people are hungry, they no longer think of resisting.

STORMTRAP:
I'm playing with death. I wanna know what the death toll is here.
I don't hear anything. Shut off the phone. Ask because no one's been asking,
whether he's a politician or a diplomat. They're sitting on these chairs and conversing.
Going and putting their heads back and relaxing while the homes in Lebanon and Gaza are being destroyed.
It's time for us to flip off the whole world because it's gonna keep talking and it will never do anything.
So what do we want? To become convinced by our deception? I wish! But it's all for nothing. They forgot about us a long time ago.
You try to hold yourself back when you see before you those who stood against you and those who arrested you.
I'm not surprised if diabolical thoughts are going through in your head.
You start to call out to the world but the world has gone to sleep - and even if it woke up, it wouldn't hear what you're saying.
Ha! It won't hear what you're saying!
Here, you win one, you lose a hundred (from يوم ليك يوم عليك). There's barriers all around you. Handcuffs are on your wrists.
Tell me: what did you do? I don't wanna hit the wall. I wish...
But I'm going on just like this. My life is a bicycle tire.
And now the chain is slipping. The time has come to hit the gas.
Start pulling! Start spreading words in every direction...because my words are my weapon!

HOOK #1
They want to starve the population because when the people are hungry, they no longer think of resisting.

BOIKUTT:
One by one, two by two, three by three, they're wiping us out.
Let's get down to the shelters before they see us.
They bombard us wherever we go, but they could never push us out
We stand strong to the final moment when your missiles hit us.
And the Arab leaders have abandoned us. They left us and fled into [the arms] of our enemy.
Because they couldn't help us, they promised us with the future - but look where they've brought us!
It's 2007 and the world walks on by as they blow us up. They starved us. They wanna make us forget.
For years, we kept building and, suddenly, they came and destroyed us. They threatened us. They frightened us.
They poisoned us with democracy. They didn't even let us live a normal life.
They put us on a fuse and detonated us. They destroyed us and wiped up our blood.
All that and they still haven't rid us of our sorrow.

HOOK #2 (x3):
I try to ignore it, but politics keeps seizing me. I tell it "Go away! I don't wanna!"
It tells me "I'm a part of your life. You cannot resist me."
"You cannot resist me!"

Barriers are all around me.
Barriers are all around me.

Ramallah Underground feat. Lethal Skillz - From the Caveمن الكهفMin il Kaheff

Ramallah Underground feat. Lethal Skillz - From the Cave

Words in the Sample:

They wanna starve the population, cuz when the people are hungry, they no longer think of resisting

Stormtrap:

I'm playing with death
I wanna know what is death toll here
I don't hear anything
Shut off the phone
Ask because nobody's been asking
Be they politician or diplomat
They're sittin on their chairs and discussing
Puttin their heads back relaxin as the homes in Lebanon and Gaza are being destroyed
It's time for us to flip off (ie give them the finger) the whole world cuz they're gonna keep talking and never do anything
So what do we wanna relax and wait, I wish
But it's for nothin
They forgot about us a long time ago
You try to hold yourself back when you see before you those who stood you up and those who carried you (???)
I'm not surprised if diabolical thoughts are goin round in your head
You start to call out to the world but the world's asleep
And even if it woke up it wouldn't hear what you're sayin

Here, it's like you can't win (literally, "one day's yours, a hundred are against you" this refers to the expression in Arabic يوم ليك يوم عليك which roughly translates as "win some, lose some")
There's barriers all around you, your wrists in handcuffs
Tell me what did you do?
I don't wanna hit the wall, I wish
But I am, just like this
My life is a bicycle tire
And now the chain is slipping
The time has come to hit the gas
Start pullin, start spreadin words in every direction
Because my words are my weapon

Boikutt:

One by one, two by two, three by three
They're wiping us out
Let's get down to the shelters before they see us
They bombard us wherever we go, but they could never push us out
We stand strong to the last moment when they're missiles hit us

And the Arab leaders have abandoned us, they left us and ran to our enemy
Cuz they couldn't help us
They promised us with the future, but look where they've brought us?
2007 and the world is marching on and they've blown us up
They starved us, they wanna make us forget
For years we kept building and they suddenly came and destroyed us like that
Threatened us, tried to scare us, poisoned us with democracy
They didn't even let us live a normal life
They put us on a fuse and detonated us
Demolished us and wiped up our blood
All that and they still haven't rid us of our woes

Chorus:

I try to ignore it, but politics keeps pulling at me
I tell it "go away, I don't wanna"
It tells me "I'm a part of your life, you cannot resist me"

Ramallah Underground - من الكهف

بدهم يجوعوا الأهالي لأنو الناس لما يجوعو ما بوعودو يفكروا بالمقاومة

نازل العب بالموت , بدي اعرف ايش عدد الموت هون
مش سامع ولا صوت, اطفي التلفون اسأل لأنو ولا حد سائل
سواءاً سياسي أو دوبلوماسي , قاعدين ع هالكراسي وبتحدثوا
بروحوا بحوطوا روسهم و بتمددو , والبيوت في لبنان و غزة عم يتهدموا
اجا الوقت نرفع بعبوص لكل العالم لأنو راح يضلو يحكي وعمرو ما حيعمل
فئيش بدنا نضلنا نقنع و نستنا بتمنى , بس عالفاضي من زمان نسييو عنا
ساعة بتمسك حالك لما تشوف قدامك , اللي قامك واللي شالك
مش مستغرب اذا افكار جهنمية عم بدور ببالك
نازل بتنادي عالدنيا بس الدنيا نامت , وحتى اذا قامت ما حتسمع كلامك
ها ما حتسمع كلامك!!!!!
هون يوم معاك مية عليك , حواجز حواليك , كلبشات ع ايديك
قولي شو سويت , مابدي فوت بالحيط ياريت
بس انا فايت هيك هيك , حياتي عجل بسكليت
وهلأ فلت الجنزير اجا الوقت ادعس بنزين
ابدا شد ابدا مد حكيي , لكل النواحي , لأنو كلماتي سلاحي.

بدهم يجوعوا الأهالي لأنو الناس لما يجوعو ما بوعودو يفكروا بالمقاومة

11 22 33
عم يمحونا,هات لننزل عال ملاجئ قبل ما يشوفونا
بقصوفونا وين ما روحنا بس بحياتهم ما بطحونا
صامدون لأخر لحظة لصواريخكم ايصابونا
و رؤساء العرب سابونا تركونا و هربوا لعند عدونا
لأنو ما قدروا يعدونا , وعدونا بالمستقبل بس شوف لوين جابونا
2007 عالم بمشي دوغري و احنا فجرونا , جوعونا,بدهم ينسونا
قعدنا سنين نبني و اجو فجأة هيك هدونا , هددونا و خوفونا
بالديمقراطية سممونا,حتى نعيش حياة طبيعية ما خلونا
حطونا عخط النار ونسفونا دمرونا نشفولنا دمنا
كل هاد و لسا ما خلصونا من همنا.

بحاول اطنش بس السياسة بتشدني
بقولها افلتي ما بدي
بتقولي انا جزء من حياتك
مش حتقدر تمشي ضدي.

Lyrics transcription from here