It's windows all over (a song)

The song

The nice song is called “Shababeik” which means windows. Sung by Mohamed Mounir. The poet Magdy Naguib thought about it while he was politically imprisoned for opposing the controversial yet widely influencial Egyptian president Nasser who ruled from 1954 till 1962. The poet was deeply affected by being imprisoned with no trial as a form of political tyranny. Although he was a supporter of Nasser and just wanted to express opinion, he was still falsly imprisoned.

The Lyrics

• Shababeik. El donya kollaha shababeik.

• Windows. It’s windows everywhere.

• Wel Sahar, wel hekaya, wel hawadeit.

• And the sleepless nights, the stories, and the tales.

• Kollaha dayra aleik.

• It’s all about you.

• Wel kalam kam kan aleik.

• And the talks that revolve around you.

• Welly kan khayef aleik, entaha mn bein edeik.

• And who was afread for you, not gone.

  …

• Sara’t omry mn ahzany. Sara’to laken ma gany.

• I stole my years from the sorrows. I stole them, yet they never came to me.

• Wala hadd shaf fein makany wara el shababeik.

• Yet, nobody knew where I was behind those windows.

• Ghayyart yama kteir, yama kteir ahwaly.

• How many times I changed myself.

• Wana kont aashek, aashek w kan yehlaly.

• Yet I was a lover. A lover who only loved.

• Aheb bss ykon halaly wara el shababeik.

• Loved only to see my loved one behind those windows.

  …

• Ana bea’t el domoa’, el domoa’ wel oo’mr.

• I’ve sold the tears away. The tears and the years.

• Tarahet ganayny fel rabee’, fel rabee’ el sabr.

• Yet, spring gave only patience to my gardens.

• W olt and aashek, saa’ony kteer el morr. Wara el shabbeik.

• I said I was a lover, yet they only gave me bitterness. Behind those windows.

• De eineik shababeik. Wel donya kollaha shababeik.

• For your eyes are like windows. And it’s all windows everywhere.