Yeah (1996)
[During his tenure as spokesman for a Lebanese public beleaguered by civil war, Munir composed songs showcasing the electric guitar, despite the nylon-stringed classical guitar being his first calling.
The electric guitar, by virtue of electric power and thin bendable steel strings, is capable of an unparalleled range of emotions, from a whisper to a wail or scream, to mocking, mimicking, or telling a joke.
As such, it was the perfect instrument to accompany his equally wide ranging lyrics and subject matter.]
-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)Â
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 (i.e boxing arena)
I go back twenty one 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 direct relation to Munir.
(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 (usually without), 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, often unsavory, that can be considered inflammatory).
(12) The expression "And a splinter of wood" means: And then some.
(13) Munir's songwriting style 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.