daughter of egypt

Written by: Badi‘e Khairy

Composed by: Sayyed Darwish

What dunce would denounce

the daughter of Egypt?

I hereby announce

you shut up at once.

Zip it! Ssshh!

Do not, do not, do not,

not her, not her, not her

Sister, what’s this nonsense?

It really makes no sense and hence

in her defense, I’ll say, God bless!

She can raise children like no other.

Girl!          

The girl will remain locked in

they say, to save her from sin.

Once a bride she can come and go,

before that though she is no show.

Better than running free

Excuse me, excuse me.

Oh wow!

Oh wow!

The moral of this story

has no sheen, no glory,

and here we must disagree:

The free one is not a disgrace,

the disgraced are never free

Man!

Pardon, Effendi, please do tell me,

what fault do you find, honestly?

Are there no Egyptian women left around

so the foreigner you chase and hound?

Understand.

Grow up,

You dunce!

Let no one divide us at this hour.

Let us keep our oil in our flour.

While the Egyptian girl

will make you proud,

foreigners around your

wealth will crowd

Damn!

She who cannot write or read,

swindlers for her have no need.

Once you tip you can also fall,

then you will be free for all

Darn, darn, darn.

Darn the dunce,

darn ignorance.

Let’s end it all and have no fears;

Families too scared of our ideas.

They hope we’d just disappear.

Oh man!

Now listen and listen carefully:

Before you commit to her or she,

tell your sons what’s what:

There’s no place like the land, the mother

and from the Nile, guzzle, guzzle.

They love it.

Love it a little,

little by little,

from mama, and papa

and baby skittle.

More, baby, more,

hum hum hum

yum yum yum.

Don’t forget the homeland!

Oh girl!