Lyrics translation

“Sidi Arbi” (My Master, the Arab) is an enquiry into the controversial sense of
identity amongst the inhabitants of north Africa, and especially Tunisia.
It’s a historical analysis of the tragic Arabization of north African natives, cultural hegemony and the prevalence and spread of hardline Islamism as an ideology during the last decade.

Lyrics:
Look who’s coming to congratulate us, Our country is open for everyone…
Just wash your feet before you come in
The Arabs eradicated us to bring the religion of god!
and raped our women by the same occasion…
Lucky is who strips us of our riches and sell us into slavery
and earned a fortune while doing so
then came the rule of the Arabs’ pigs
Seeds of the ottomans

they raised the price of the bitter bread
Burned down our harvest
Sold the fertile
“Praise our lord prophet!”
They silenced free speech
Killed the flame of our revolution
and gave gave Sheikha Moza(1)
the power to rule over you!

Look who’s coming to congratulate us, Our country is open for everyone..
Welcome be the macho king!
The Arabs eradicated us to bring the religion of god!
Butchered us with their swords!
Lucky is who strips us of our riches and sell us into slavery
He perished miserably in exile(3)
Then came the rule of the Arabs’ pigs
and those of Israel

Dead babies in cupboard boxes(4)
Worker women dead in truck accidents(5)
Protesters shot with buckshots in Siliana(6)
“Praise our lord prophet!”
They silenced free speech
Killed the flame of our revolution
and gave gave Sheikha Moza(1)
the power to rule over you and me!

Rewrite the past and the present
You the people who have forgotten who you are
Stand up and knock off the Sheikh(7)
Who sucked your blood for years
Come back to life, you still have a fight left in you
You still have your brave women and men
Resist however you can, despite your hunger and ignorance
your light must prevail over the darkness…in you

References:
(1) Sheikha Moza bint Nasser is the former Ruler of Qatar’s Wife and she is used as a reference to the Qatari influence on Tunisia’s politics and economy during the early years of the Islamism rule after the Tunisian revolution.

(3) A reference to Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the former Tunisian president, ousted during the Arab spring and exiled in Saudi Arabia where he died in 2019.
(4) A reference to the decaying Tunisian public health service and infrastructure. In March 2019 11 newborns died in a public hospital in Tunis and their dead bodies were handed over to their parents in cupboard boxes.
(5) A reference to the extreme poverty and economical exploitation of women in poor rural areas, where they are transported in open pickups with no security to the fields where they work. In April 2019 one of the pickups crashed, killing 12 women
(6) A reference to the prevalence of brutality and the excessive use of force by the Tunisian police after the revolution. In 2012 Tunisian riot police fired live buckshots on civilians during clashes in the city of Siliana
(7) Sheikh Rached El Ghannouchi, the leader of the Islamism political party Ennahda, who is responsible for much of Tunisia’s problems since the revolution. The Sheikh here also represent the patriarchal and the religious figure.

سيدي العربي

Synopsis: A time lapse of Tunisia’s history from the stone age to the modern age of boot licking. Znous is a tunisian hardcore punk band, inspired by what remains from the country’s collective awareness of its own misery. This song is called “They were all here”, and it a shout out to Tunisia, Algeria, north Africa and to the whole continent.

Lyrics:
The romans and the vandals invaded us
but they couldn’t handle us
The spaniards and the turks invaded us
but they couldn’t handle us
Mr Jean and the gauls invaded us
but they couldn’t handle us
And then came the arabs
and they managed to screw us

The germans and the italians invaded us
but they couldn’t handle us
The phoenicians from Lebanon invaded us
but they couldn’t handle us
The latins and the normans invaded us
but they couldn’t handle us
Until we met Banu Hilal(1)
and they managed to screw us

Here came the independence and Habib Bourgiba (2)
We didn’t understand shit
Here came button shirts and trousers
But we didn’t understand shit
Here came Mzali(3) who fucked it up
and we didn’t understand shit
Here came Wasila(4)..oh shit!
We got truly humiliated

Here came Bouazizi(5), played with fire
We didn’t understand shit
Here came Rachid Ammar(6) and his snipers
We didn’t understand shit
Here came ZABA(7) on the national TV
We truly didn’t get shit
But the motherfucker was already at the airport..
We got truly humiliated

Here came Lembazzaa(8) and Bajbouj(9)
They couldn’t handle us
The came the bastards and the clown(10)
We got truly humiliated
Here came Daechs(11) and the terrorists They slaughtered us and murdered us
Here came that piece of shit called Ghannouchi(12)
he managed to screw us

They killed Chokri Belaid(13) in an ambush
Only to pray at his grave afterwards
They violated our borders and smuggled weapons in
Sold them and shared the benefits
They sent brainwashed people to fight for ISIS in Syria
and who knows where else…
When our people wanted to revolt
they didn’t care about the odds..

References:
(1)Banu Hilal: A confederation of arabian tribes who invaded north africa in the 11th century
(2)Habib Bouguiba: The first president of the tunisian republic (1957-1987), formed after the independance from France
(3)Mohamed Mzali: A corrupt politician from the Bourguiba Era, Prime Minister (1980-1986), sentenced for fraud
(4)Wassila Ben Ammar: First Lady of Tunisia from 1962 to 1986
(5)Mohamed Bouazizi: The man who officially “started” the arab spring by setting himself on fire in late 2010
(6)Rachid Ammar: A former General in the tunisian army
(7)ZABA: Zine El Abidine Ben Ale, tunisia’s president from 1987 until the arab spring
(8)Fouad Lembazzaa: An interim president during the unrest of the revolution
(9)Beji Caid Essebsi: Tunisia’s late president (2015 – 2019)
(10)The clown: a reference to Moncef El Marzouki, Tunisia’s president from 2011 to 2014
(11)Daech: The arab name of the terrorist organization ISIS
(12)Rached El Ghannouchi: Leader of the Ennahdha Party/Movement
(13)Chokri Belaid: A tunisian leftist politician who fought for the separation of politics and religion, and was eventually assassinated for, his murder has not been solved to this day

جُونا

Look to the streets if you can still see
See with your own eye how your country’s getting fucked
They put the blame on us
A country where the cops are thugs, would snatch you for a simple gaze

All the politicians are bastards
Only looking to suck on your blood
Tfuuh… Thieves
And the left are kids fooling around
Sleep well habibi while they shove their cocks in you
Thriving on people’s misery
Fooling the naive people (Purveying ignorance to the naive people)
And fucking them up
10 years of revolution for nothing
Shout as loud as you can, they’ll still do whatever they want
Tfuuh!!

Look how your land is being sold to the Romans*
Look how the youth are fleeing or selling watermelons on the streets
Your people are dead alive, eaten by misery and hunger
Eaten by the bourgeoisie and those who came after the dethroned* (Ben Ali)

All the politicians are bastards
Only looking to suck on your blood
Tfuuh… Thieves
And the left are kids fooling around
Sleep well habibi while they shove their cocks in you
Thriving on people’s misery
Fooling the naive people (Purveying ignorance to the naive people)
And fucking them up
10 years of revolution for nothing
Shout as loud as you can, they’ll still do whatever they want
Tfuuh!!

There came the day
Where you have only steel and fire left
That’s what you choose
That’s what will carry your voice
Your destiny is in your hands
Your destiny is not a toy in the hands of the politicians and pigs
And the police
And the brothers of Iblis*
And all those who trade behind the scenes
And the media
And the old servants* (old regime)
And those who fucked us all
In the name of Islam

تفووه

Synopsis:
This Song is a wild rampage resulting from the accumulation of
frustrations against the sociopolitical reality in Tunisia. It’s a slap in the face of the corrupt bastard ruling the country today, those who ruled it before them, and the media mafias that is hijacking every last bit of hope for freedom and progress.
Znous is a tunisian hardcore punk band, inspired by what remains
from Tunisia’s collective awareness of its own misery,
and this is the second song from their first EP,
dedicated to those who sold the country and stole from its people.
Never forgive, never forget.

Lyrics:

Welcome to the country of good deeds
In which you never know what will happen
Where the rulers plunder, and the ruled have no consciousness
Welcome to the country of stews
lies, plunder, mockery and thievery
A country that underwent a revolution, only to give it away to the mercenaries
Sell it! Sell it! Sell it!
There is nothing left to sell!
Welcome to Bejis*1 Country
For which Daghbeji*2 gave his life
Populated by folks whose collective identity is scattered accross a scrapyard
Welcome to a cursed country
a meaningless circus
I want to stab karoui el fehri*3
Die! Die! Die!
Motherfucker!
Your hands are stealing, oh Chahed*4
Don’t you think we’re going to forgive/forget you
Your hands are stealing, oh Chahed
One day Tunisia is going to burn you alive

(1) Tunisia’s late president Beji Caid Sebsi
(2)Mohamed Daghbaji (1885-1924) was an iconic figure of the tunisian
resistance against the french occupation, executed by the french millitary
during their occupation of Tunisia
(3) Nabil el Karoui and Sami el Fehri are tunisian TV moguls and prison
convicts, and the combination of their names is a reference to all the
corrupt and biased media and media mafias in Tunisia
(4) Youssef Chahed is Tunisia’s late corrupt prime minister, who was in
office at the time of the release of this song

بلاد الخير

الغناية هذي قصف عشوائي نتاج تراكم غبينة الواقع الإجتماعي و السياسي في تونس
كف للقذارة الحاكمة ولي حكمو قبلهم لكل و مافيات الإعلام الجاثمين على آخر أمل تحرر أو تتطور للتوانسة
زنُوس هو فريق موسيقى ﭘانك تونسي مقيم في ضميرما تبقّى من وعي هذا الشعب المنكوب
هذي الغناية الثانية من مجموعة الأغاني االاولى و نهديوها لكل من باع وسرق تونس
و ماناش مسامحين

أهلا بيك في بلاد الخير
في “الماتدري شنو اللّي يصير”
في بلاد الحاكم ينهب و المحكوم بلا ضمير
أهلا بيك في بلاد المرقة
كذب و نهب و قحب و سرقة
في بلاد الي عملت ثورة باش تعطيها للمرتزقة
بيييييع … بييييع … بيييع
آش مازال باش تبيع
أهلا بيك في بلاد الباجي
اللي فداها بدمو الدّغباجي
بربش عالايدنتيتاي تلقاها عند الخرداجي
أهلا بيك في بلاد اللعنة
سرك و سردوك بلا معنى
نحب ندغر قر#ي الف#ري 500 ألف طعنة
مووووت….مووووت… موووووت
أيها القذر.
تسرق يديك يالشّاهد تسرق يديك يالشّاهد
تسرق يديك… يجيك نهار تونس تكويك
يالشّاهد…

Bouzid is wearing clothes*1
Bouzid is all Naked [it’s all the same]
Bouzid with clothes
Bouzid´s got a job [still always lame]. 

Bouzid is clothed
Yet he is barefoot [it’s all the same]
Bouzid is clothed,
Look how happy he is! [still lame] 

A visually impaired in the land of the blind*2 [it’s all the same]
Walking naked with a golden ring in hand* 3 [still lame] 

They brought to you some Human  rights! [it’s all the same]
Straight from Sudan’s plains and heights [still lame] 

We [thralls] left beneath the walls
Peering over the bay for a vessel to smuggle us away

Oh god almighty! 

They laid waste to our country 

Night’s long and Dawn [a forgotten song].
We no longer [blessed] like the rest.

Hey educated men! and hey you communist…

I’m hungry and I no longer care
A day shall come and [we ‘ll be square].
I will be speaking Italian out of despair. 

We [thralls] left beneath the walls. 

Peering over the bay for a vessel to smuggle us away. 

Oh, god almighty! 

They laid waste to our country
Night’s long and dawn [a forgotten song].
We no longer [blessed] like the rest. 

Bouzid is wearing cloths
Bouzid is left Naked [it’s all the same]
Bouzid is wearing clothes
Bouzid is barefoot [he’s always lame]
Bouzid wearing clothes,
Bouzid´s got a job! [it’s all the same]
Bouzid is wearing clothes
Bouzid is an asshole [[he’s always lame]

* Khoroto is a tunisian slang expression that conveys drunk manners and the state of being very drunk.
*1 Tunisian proverb to convey meaning of inequality
*2 Tunisian proverb to convey mediocrity
*3 Tunisian proverb to convey the absurdity of giving the wrong priority to things

و المود دومبلوا مالسودان 

و احنا الي ڨاعدين تحت الصور و نڨابرو كانشي بابور 

و يالعالي يا موالنا 

في بالدنا عاثو الفساد 

و الليل طال و الفجر نسانا مانا هانيين كيف العباد 

و يالقاري و يالشيوعي 

أنا جيعان ماعال بالي 

تو يجي نهار تو تلڨاني 

مالهم نهدر طلياني 

و خلينا ڨاعدين تحت الصور و نڨابرو كانشي بابور 

و يالعالي يا موالنا 

في بالدنا عاثو الفساد 

و الليل طال و الفجر نسانا مانا هانيين كيف العباد 

بوزيد مكسي بوزيد عريان عايش خوروطو 

بوزيد مكسي بوزيد حفيان عايش خوروطو 

بوزيد مكسي و بوزيد خدام عايش خوروطو 

بوزيد مكسي و بوزيد طحان عايش خوروطو

And for every kid you forced to pee*2 I say ACAB

*1 Google: “Omar Abidi”, a young Tunisian football supporter who got assaulted by Tunisian police and left to drown in a fluid. Witnesses quote police agents telling Omar: “Learn how to swim” after he begged them for help.

*2 Urine cannabis test

تسعين بالميّة

ريفيوز ريزيست

باكوكوش