Ghaliaa is a UAE-based musician who does a bit of everything - she’s a singer/songwriter and composer, she plays multiple instruments, and she produces music. I first heard her on the Watr podcast and was drawn in by her smooth yet raspy vocals. 

The song we’re going to dig into here, 3abali (عبالي), is a nostalgic tune off of Ghaliaa’s 2019 EP, Amygdala. There are two versions of 3abali, an acoustic rendition which is just Ghaliaa, and the more percussive version featuring Samer Doumet (embedded below). The song reflects back fondly on a childhood friendship. The singers describe the closeness of their relationship, how they used to pass their time together, and they express a desire to return to those days.

Vocabulary / مفردات

عبالي
On my mind
There’s a desire connotation with the phrase عبالي - something is on your mind because you want it

بتذكر (تذكر)
I remember

نقضي (قضى)
We spend

درج البيت
Staircase or stoop

ليلة من الليالي
One night
Singular + من + plural is a poetic way to say the singular

مجنون/ة ج مجانين
Crazy

نيسان
April
Months in Arabic are frequently transliterated from the English or referred to by numerically. For example, ابريل or الشهر الرابع (the fourth month) for April. For a full list names of the months in Arabic, download our Months and Days vocabulary list.

بأول/ى
At the start or at the beginning

تشرين
October