Lyrics, music, and arrangements are by Munir Khauli.
Music of "I Yearn To Be Played on FM" composed by Walid Itayim.
The songs are listed here in the order in which they appear on the CD titled "Tannin El Tarab".
(The CD begins with the Lebanese national anthem performed in a gospel arrangement. That is followed by tracks 2 through 10).
YEAH (1996)
-Ground control: "Helicopter, helicopter, where do you think you're going?"
-Pilot: "I have Khauli with me"
-Ground control: "What have you got?"
-Pilot: "I have Khauli"
-Ground control: "Cargo? What kind of cargo?"
-Pilot: "Who said cargo? I said Khauli! Khauli"
-Ground control: "What is this Khauli?"
-Pilot: "It's a singer; he performs and sings"
-Ground control: "He sings! Rabih Khauli?" *1
-Pilot: "No, Munir"
-Ground control: "I haven't heard of him"
-Pilot: "What? This is masterful Munir"
-Ground control: "Okay, make your descent"
I have come and God has brought me *2
A feeling of responsibility overcame me
I was reproached by my professional conscience
I'm coming to play guitar and sing
I'm here without an invitation
Arriving without any fanfare
I've got tunes that shake the hips
And lyrics that delight the mind
Yeah
I'm here, long live he who has seen me *3
Blindness still hasn't afflicted me
The target is within my range of vision
My path is both clear and safe *4
I'm not the genius of my time
But I've got songs that are drenched in relevance
I'm neither number one nor number two
I'm the very last, but I'm taking face *5
Yeah
I have arrived and I know my business
I've done my homework methodically
I've checked out the market and everything's affordable
I'm looking around but nothing catches my fancy
I'm alone and all by myself
But I have got effective tactics
In my hand is this guitar
And in my head stories and news
Yeah
My bed is Eastern going on Western *6
Alternating between Francophonic and Arabic *7
I bang a beat on the "mazhar" *8
And play a lick on the guitar
I'm neither Ibn El Muqaffaa nor El Mutanabby *9
But mice are playing in my bosom *10
I don't throw words around
I'm the "Dragon of Song" *11
Yeah
I'm not new to the ring (arena)
I go back fourteen years and a splinter of wood *12
I have raised entire generations
With utter dedication and love
Art to me is not a toy
I extracted it from the depths of my heart
And I enclosed it in brand new wrapping
Beware of imitations *13
Yeah
1.Rabih Khauli was a singer who made a name singing novelty pop songs.
No relation to Munir, of course.
2.When you are in dire need of help, and someone comes along who can lend a hand,
you say: "You have come and God has brought you".
3.It is customary to greet someone you haven't seen in a long while by saying:
"Long live he who has seen you".
4.In the late seventies, during the nasty years of the Lebanese civil war, snipers
perched on the roofs of tall buildings kept many roads off-limits to pedestrians and
cars. One radio station had a gentleman who was at his microphone all day, every
day, informing civilians what roads were clear and safe from sniper fire, and what
roads were clear but unsafe, or closed altogether.
5.When someone takes to you, with or without your consent, it is called "Taking face".
6.An "Eastern Bed" is a term used to describe an orchestra consisting exclusively
of Eastern (Arabian) instruments.
7.In Lebanon, music can be one of two things: Foreign or Arabic. Foreign includes all
forms of music other than Arabic. A musician auditioning for a show might only be
asked whether he or she plays Foreign or Arabic.
8.Ethnic hand-made drum.
9.Ibn El Muqaffaa and El Mutanabby were two luminary poets of olden times.
10.When one has committed mischief it can be said of him:
"The mouse played in his bosom".
11.All singers in Lebanon find themselves a nickname - this is mine.
"Tannin" is Arabic for dragon. The dragon is extinct (like my kind) and it spat
out fire (as I spit out facts of life that can be considered inflammatory).
12.The expression "And a splinter of wood" means: And then some.
13.My method of songwriting was widely copied and imitated in the late
eighties, and has since mushroomed into a writing style used and abused in
popular song, radio jingles and commercials.
THE TELEVISION (1995)
The other day I turned on the television
I saw an electric heater and beside it a shapely brunette
She then proceeded to shed her dress and posed in her underwear
In order to demonstrate the heating power of the heater
They dangled the girl just to sell you the heater
That's the surest and cheapest form of advertising
They dangled the girl to make you desire the heater
That's the surest and most effective method of advertising
As long as purchasing power rests in the hands of men
The girl in the commercial is gonna stay naked
On the next channel there's a vocalist taking himself very seriously
He's singing while driving a Mercedes 500
And behind the pine trees awaits a European blonde
All this just to endear to me his velvet throat
Let him explain to me what brings the Mercedes to singing *1
Or has his voice improved because he imported a woman from the West? *2
Let him try to explain what brings the Mercedes to singing
And what brings this Romanian girl to the land of Arabs *3
Those (singers) who hit have hit, and those who fled have fled *4
And those who mastered true art have been ruined
I changed stations and came across a romantic love scene
There's a girl who has used eye-drops to appear in tears
And her lover whispers to her: "I can't live without you"
A caress turns to stroking, turns to squeezing, turns to....
In the living room four or five kids are sitting around the TV
One kid is frozen in his seat and another kid's eyes are popping out
In the living room children are gathered to watch television
One child is frozen in his seat and another's eyes are out of their sockets
And one of them asks me: "What are those two doing?"
I told him: "Kid, they are roasting eggplants"
What do you tell a child?
Another commercial features a hip-looking guy
He sparkles from his shoes up to his head
Women hover around him from his right to his left
And with cool determination he sips whisky from a glass
He reminded me of a lad who once was out drinking with his friends
By the second drink his head was spinning and his vision blurred
I was reminded of a young man who was out with his friends
By the second drink his head was spinning and he was seeing double
On the highway his car's brakes couldn't keep up with him
By the side of the road the young man died and four more with him
Lord have mercy
I said to myself: "I'll watch a movie until I'm drowsy so I can sleep"
In the first film there was more gunfire than dialogue
In the second, the hero (protagonist) stabbed a woman who was taking a shower
And in the third I saw a vampire arising from the grave
I got all wired up and couldn't get myself to sleep
For fear some monster would come and grab me in my dreams
I was all tensed up and couldn't get myself to sleep
For fear some ghoul was gonna catch me in my dreams
I stayed up the whole night, pacing in my pajamas
And slept at dawn with a gun in my hand and a blanket over my head
I slept at dawn with a gun in my hand and a blanket over my head
And since that day I haven't turned on the television
Since that day I haven't turned on the television
Since that day I haven't turned on the television
Since that day I haven't turned on the television
Never
Not once
(Voice of popular comic actor Tarek Tamim)
"Huh? You're just arriving now?
Why are you always late, Munir?
Hurry up, the orchestra is going to start with you
Seat yourself over here
Where's your guitar?
Plug it, plug it
Ready?
Go
God be with your tires" *5
LONG GUITAR SOLO FOLLOWS
"You're one danged guitar player"
1.Local expression "What brought this to that?" means: How does this relate to that?
2.Lebanese men have long been enamored with foreign women, and Lebanese women
have always known that. Years before it became fashionable for young women to
dye their hair, Lebanese women were dyeing it blonde. This fascination with the
foreign included products and customs from the West which the locals believed to
be superior to the national product. This complex has not been eroded by time or
exposure, and remains the case today. The preferred cars are German; the watches
Swiss; the movies American; and the beauty products French. Of course, Lebanon
produces no cars or watches, nor beauty products of any quality, and the few movies
which make it past the censors are mediocre productions with limited budgets. But
where women are involved a double standard has been created. The Lebanese male
thinks that foreign women are easy meat and Lebanese women the very
embodiment of chastity. This in parallel to the male mentality of wanting to nab countless
women and then marrying a virgin. Every young man covets his friend's sister
while protecting his own sister from the eyes of his friend. Honor killings are
every-day news.
3.Night-club dancers of East European descent are the rage in Lebanon today.
They complement their nightclub act by dancing in music video clips.
4."Those who hit have hit and those who fled have fled" is a common expression of
dubious origin. The verb "to hit" is used to describe a song that becomes a hit.
5."God be with your tires" is said to a person who is leaving on a trip or voyage.
THE HARMS OF SMOKING (1990)
I have a dear friend, he is witty and sweet
As for height he lacks none, he's as tall as a Fava bean
He is handsome and has never worn ill-fitting clothes
He is well-behaved and mature, and has a lot of money
But he has one lone flaw, a harmful and stubborn habit
The cigarette never leaves his mouth, and his health is his last concern
There may be no need for it, but I'm gonna warn him because he's not aware of
The harms of smoking, the harms of smoking
I have a dear girlfriend whom I should take time in describing
We are quite close, she's a girl with lots of charm and self-esteem
She lacks no beauty, she's tanned like a cardamom seed
Raised in the best of schools, she's waiting for a horse with a knight upon it
She holds her head up high, but for some unknown reason
She puffs on her cigarette like the exhaust pipe of an automobile
Well, I'm not a genius but I can see that she's not aware of
The harms of smoking, the harms of smoking
The Lebanese citizen is much like the Cypriot and the Greek *1
Packet of cigarettes in hand; at work, in the car, and at home
From Rothmans to Marlboro, he couldn't care less for his lungs
And Dunhill and Du Maurier, and his heart-beat is in reverse
And those local cigarettes that are so strong they get you high
And so many varieties of tobacco for the waterpipe
And we have an old saying that goes :"Ask a user not a doctor" about
The harms of smoking, the harms of smoking
Smoking has its moments - we can't deny its pleasures
With the morning cup of coffee, after plowing in the field
During moments of stress, after intimate liasons
Tobacco is a natural plant, a root, gift from the earth
But American cigarettes are loaded with chemical substances
And the national Southern tobacco is of better quality, support your local farmer
We can keep on explaining till tomorrow but the Ministry of Health warns of
The harms of smoking, the harms of smoking
1.At the time this song was composed, Greeks and Cypriots were taking top honors in
per capita smoking.
I YEARN TO BE PLAYED ON FM (1990) [music by Mr Walid Itayim]
All my life since I was little
I have enjoyed singing very much
I knew a song on the guitar
I played and repeated it till the neighbor left town
Bless his ears, he put up with me until he lost his hearing
May the Lord reward him and provide us with many more like him
It's safe to say that I've wronged him, but I'm better off without him
I'm sure he has found some peace and quiet all by himself
Sometimes I play the "oud" (lute-like Arabic instrument)
Other times I play the flute
And I beat on the "dirbakkeh" (Arabic Tabla)
And in the evening I dance the "dabkeh" (Lebanese folkloric dance)
My fascination with art keeps me from whining
And remains better than a million other things
I have one ambition: I want to expose my secret
I'll tell you about it, just give me one second
CHORUS:
I yearn to be played on FM
How long must I keep on dreaming
Let all the people hear me
So I'll become their favorite singer
Come on, play me on FM
Before I get angry and upset
I'll chirp into the people's ears
With a voice that is full of feeling
Imagine a guy on the "Corniche" (seaside promenade)
A vendor of "fatair" and "manakeesh" (local foods)
He is cracking nuts and pumpkin seeds
And nibbling on almonds till he gets stuffed
The mess he's caused around him is incredible
And he is listening to a transistor radio
And all of a sudden he gets all riled up
Upon hearing my voice, and he starts to sing:
CHORUS
Most singers are busy collecting money
My first and foremost concern is to please the masses
THE MASSES SING:
He yearns to be played on FM
How long must he keep on dreaming
Let all the people hear him
So he'll become their favorite singer
Play the Khauli on FM
Before he gets angry and upset
He'll chirp into the people's ears
With a voice that is full of feeling
CHORUS
Play me, play me on FM, play me, play me on FM, play me, play me
THROW AN ONION (1986)
I lived alone for a while, away from parents and loved ones
And I was forced to cook by myself, without assistance from others
Since then people have come to consult me on matters related to cooking
From the preparation of stews and stuffings, to the secrets of sweets and cakes
And many have asked: "What do you know about cooking? You're but a young man"
My reply has always been: "Friends, cooking is very easy"
Throw an onion in butter, in ghee, or in oil
Add a kilo of lean meat, a leg of lamb, or some shanks
Add to that a kilo of green beans, or okra, or eggplant
Fry them to a blonde color, add salt, and pepper, liberally
Extinguish them with a little water, raise the flame, the water boils
Cover them up over a gentle flame, for about an hour or two
In the meantime clean the rice, soak it, and drain it
Prepare vermicelli by the same method, twenty minutes, that's it
For the salad, tomatoes and lettuce, parsley, a couple of cucumbers
A clove of garlic, juice of lemon, oil of olive, "Dinner is served"
(Table scene, with typical table talk, including the entire family and guests)
We wrap things up with sweets, chocolate cake, a bowl of cream and honey
All sorts of fruits, coffee and tea, a gallon of water, "May your table be forever"
(What follows is a typical after-dinner conversation with the hosts)
Hostess: "Munir, what can I get you?"
Guest: "Thanks madam, everything was delicious but I am full"
Hostess: "Come on, you didn't eat a thing"
Guest: "I did, I ate three or four plates of food"
Hostess: "Let me serve you another helping"
Guest: "No, you're very kind, thanks"
Hostess: "It seems you didn't like our food"
Guest: "Oh, but I did. You just didn't see how much I ate"
Hostess: "One last bite, one last bite"
Guest: "I beg you madam, I'm going to burst, I'm going to pop"
Host: "What do you smoke? Marlboros?"
Guest: "No thanks. You're very kind"
Host: "Winston? Kent?"
Guest: "No, I don't smoke, thank you"
Host: "L&M? Du Maurier?"
Guest: "No thanks mister, I stopped smoking long ago"
Host: "Then take a bonbon"
Guest: "Oh wow, thanks"
The choir repeats: throw an onion, and an onion, and an onion, and an onion
In truth, people's opinions have differed widely concerning food and eating
One faction insists: "Where the bellies are concerned the brains are lost"
"After lunch lay down, after dinner walk around"
"Man does not live by bread alone"
Other people disregard that and say: "Eat what you want, wear what others want"
"The key to appetite is one bite"
"A man without a belly is not worth a penny"
"The rice took all the credit and the wheat hung itself"
"Haven't you thrown enough onions Chef?"
"Oh how my stomach aches. Oh my stomach"
Two tablets of Alka Seltzer are dropped into a glass of water
POP SINGERS (1996)
(This song opens with a scene of vendors plying their wares in a public street)
Cakes, cakes. We have dishes, we have glasses, we have table cloths. Perfumes, gifts
Kidney-sized Fava beans. Shoeshine, shoeshine. Watermelons in slices
Fortune teller, fortune teller, I'll see your fortune. Boiled chick peas
Lottery, tomorrow's the drawing. Pepsi, bottled water, cold beverages
Pop singers, pop singers
To the left and to the right
All packed up and cleared at customs
By the dozen and by the slice
Pop singers, pop singers
The newest and prettiest models
And they're on sale, liquidation
But they all come in the same color *1
They're charging forth like waves of the sea
With their voices they're splitting rocks
On the wavelengths of radios
And on the channels of televisions
They're running around with mouths wide open
Yelling from dawn till dusk
And raising their microphones
In the direction of the skies
Some with heads and some without *2
And they keep singing even if you say: ENOUGH
They're all cheap and marginal but where is the ear of the connoisseur
Where is the ear of the connoisseur, where is the ear of the connoisseur
Pop singers, pop singers
Ready to go, loaded with options
Square ones, rectangular ones
By the dozen and by the slice
Pop singers, pop singers
The finest and best brands
Reduced prices, big sale
But everything comes in the same color
Cheap songs, novelty songs
All we hear are novelty songs
Wham bam, snap and pop, bump and grind, move and groove
All day long, novelty songs
I'd rather hear the cackling of fowl
It's like we're sitting in a chicken coop
And once in ten years a rooster comes along
With each new day a brand new singer
Every day is a holiday in Lebanon
There are now more singers than there are listeners
The entertainers outnumber the audience
(Here the singer of this song addresses a hypothetical pop singer)
"I wish you had taken a voice lesson or two
Before you decided to liberate your voice
You darling you
Put yourself in my place *3
This thing that emanates from you as an AH *4
Reaches me as an OUCH
Oh my ears, oh my head
Look how I grind my teeth"
Pop singers, pop singers
Straight from the dealership and under warranty
Fabricated and programmed
To best serve the public
Pop singers, pop singers
In restaurants and in hotels
Clearance, sale
But all items in the same color
One video clip following another
They're spreading like the flu
Shut your eye and open it
You'll find that a new entertainer has sprouted
The nation is now filled with stars
And in the sky there are only clouds
Say "my goodness", brothers
This can only happen in Lebanon
On tape they sound like one thing
In concert they sound like something else
If they get the "ya leil" right *5
The "ya ein" goes astray
If they manage to hit the "ya leil"
They'll mess up the "ya ein"
(Here the singer of this song unleashes a "ya ein" that goes wildly astray,
in mock of the pop singers described herein, none of whom can sing two
good notes in a row. Following the wayward "ya ein" a person complements
the singer and says: "Beautiful", and the singer replies: "Thank you, you're
very kind")
Pop singers, pop singers
Fresh and hot, right out of the oven
Pop singers, pop singers
Upside down, they glow in the dark
Somebody give me two Aspirins
Oh brother, pop singers
Obliged, not obliging
They're all tied-up, they're moist
It's like they've swallowed mothballs
Pop singers, double-glazed
Pop singers, refreshments
Get up and go back home
1.In addition to its common meaning, the term "color" also refers to musical genre. For
instance, an interviewer would ask an artist why he or she chose a particular "color"
of music for themselves. In the context of this song, I am using the term to describe
the fact that all songs on the radio share the same basic elements because producers
are afraid of straying from a formula which yields a hit. The result is unabashed
copying, and songs that sound the same.
2."Some with heads and some without" is a local saying that describes a mixed, unruly
crowd of considerable size.
3."In my place" here means: In my shoes.
4."AH" is used to denote a beautiful-sounding note.
5.The two most often repeated phrases in Arabic singing are, and have always been,
and probably always will be "ya leil" and "ya ein". "Ya" is a form of calling, "leil" is
night, "ein" is eye. "Oh night, oh my eye" is often repeated with the singer
improvising and trying different ways of singing it.
FOR A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS (1988)
How many arms are raised in the air
How many ears are listening intently
How many voices are screaming
For a fistful of dollars
In the interest of a few dollars
How many eyes are covetous
How many hearts are deceitful
How many spirits are begrudging
Because of a few dollars
As a result of a few dollars
How many leaders are unjust
How many soldiers are mercenaries
How many businessmen are liars
For a number of dollars
In pursuit of some dollars
How many schools are closed
How many youths are wandering
How many manners have been spoilt
As a result of a few dollars
In pursuit of a few dollars
How many homes are deserted
How many mouths are hungry
How many feet are bare
Because of a few dollars
In order to make a fistful dollars
How many kisses are in treason
How many souls are lost
Because of a few dollars
As a result of a few dollars
For a fistful of dollars
(Following a spirited solo exchange between the "kanoun" (a large Zither) and the
"nay" (flute made out of bamboo), the lyrics are repeated)
NOTHING IS BIG EXCEPT THE CAMEL (1986)
If a calamity were to befall you
No problem
If a calamity were to befall you
Aw, no problem
CHORUS:
Keep on walking without thinking
You should always keep in mind that:
Nothing is big except the camel *1
And nothing flies except the elephant *2
Nothing is big except the camel
And nothing flies except the elephant
If Fate were to slap you in the face
Your foot *3
If Fate were to slap you in the face
Hey, your foot
CHORUS
If folks were to upset your disposition
That's okay
If shame were to pluck out your moustache *4
That's okay
If the people were to screw you up
If all the doors were to shut in your face
If the stick were to leave marks on your sides
Hey, think nothing of it
If the situation were to drill through your sky *5
Spare yourself
If the situation were to drill through your sky
Look, spare yourself
CHORUS
1.This expression was designed to reduce the gravity of one's problems by comparing
them with something real big (in this case, the camel).
2."To fly elephants" is an idiom for making up stories that are difficult to believe.
3.The intended meaning is: pay as little attention as you would to your foot.
4.In Arab lore the moustache is much more than facial ornament. When a man
swears by his moustache he has given his word. And sometimes, a man will pluck
out his moustache if he has been shamed or if he has fallen into big trouble.
5.When something or someone "drills through your sky" they are invading your
privacy and nagging you to death. This is a Lebanese expression that typifies the colorful use of hyperbole in
language.
I HAVE SEEN ENOUGH (1985)
One day I will be transported to His mercy up above
And, God willing, I will stay there for a long period of time
One day I will be transported to His mercy up above
And, God willing, I will stay there for a long period of time
For this world does not look beautiful to one whose eyes have become satiated
With crime and sin, with evil and perversion
I have seen enough, enough, enough, enough, enough
I have seen enough
How I wish that my good Lord would carry me
And put me in exile in one of the corners of the universe
How I wish that my good Lord would carry me
And put me in exile in one of the corners of the universe
For this world does not enchant with its sounds one whose ears have grown tired
Of maliciousness and bad intentions, degradation and calamities
I have heard enough, enough, enough, enough, enough
I have heard enough
(After the guitar solo the first verse is repeated)