Nothing is Big But the Camel (1986)
[With a lumbering beat that reminds of a camel walking, this song speaks to the listener, advising
that no problem is too big, not when compared with something bigger. And in the Arab world, the camel is BIG.]
If a calamity were to befall you, no problem.
If a calamity were to befall you, no problem.
CHORUS: Keep on walking without thinking,
you should always remember that
nothing is big but the camel (1),
and nothing flies but the elephant (2).
Nothing is big but the camel,
just as nothing flies but the elephant.
If Fate were to slap you in the face, your foot (3).
If Fate were to slap you in the face, your foot.
CHORUS
If the situation were to upset your disposition, that's okay.
If shame were to pluck out your moustache (4), that's okay.
If people were to screw you up,
if all doors were to shut in your face,
if the stick were to leave marks on your sides, think nothing of it.
If the gunfire were to drill through your sky, spare yourself.
If the gunfire were to drill through your sky, spare yourself.
CHORUS
(1) Local expression reducing the gravity of one's problem by comparing it
with the size of a camel.
(2) To "fly elephants" is an idiom for making up tales.
(3) Meaning: Pay as little attention as you would to your foot.
(4) Another local expression, relevant to men whose moustaches are a sign of
virility and authority.