"Oh mother, my mother (lamentation)"
This lament is based on a traditional Lebanese Good Friday hymn (Wa Habibi/Beloved). The melody follows a Byzantine theme and the singer's trills and guttural pulsations will probably sound dissonant to classically-trained ears.
Here's my rendition of the lyrics in English: Oh mother, my mother my path was sown with bitterness and absinthe Oh mother, my mother my days of youth gave way under the weight of swords. Oh heaven, my heaven send me water to soak the desert so that a soothing flower may bloom from my airy frame Oh mother, my mother bring me Spring upon the cross. Oh mother, my mother my sun-drenched day when will I find you. Oh heaven, my heaven dissolve these darkened clouds so that I may cross the frontier and on one evening upon the mountains to raise the call Oh mother, my mother in my hands today the nails burn so. Oh heaven, my heaven send me water to soak the desert so that a soothing flower may bloom from my airy frame Oh mother, my mother bring me your Sun upon the cross.
