Majnoon (مجنون) by Jordanian alternative musician, Yazan Haifawi is a great song to work out to or to listen to when you're mad. I can recommend both from experience. Before reading the lyrics, I went back and forth between thinking Majnoon was a love song and thinking it’s about someone who’s pretty angry. Turns out it's a bit of both. In short, a man was blissfully in love with someone for a long time. Then, it seems, she had an affair or otherwise spurned him. Now, the man is feeling hurt, angry, and betrayed - so the lyrics are rich with emotionally intense vocabulary.

Scroll for full Arabic lyrics and our English translation.

Lyrics by Yazan Haifawi. Translation by Fi Kalam, edited by Saeed Alaktaa.

شافونا تنين مش اي تنين ... قالو عنا يخزي العين

They saw us two not as just any two … They say that we’re disgraceful

ماسك ايدك و ماشي … بالي عليكي صرلو سنين

I’m holding your hand and walking … You’ve been on my mind for years

كتير اوقات ما بتنعاد … مش كل شي بالكلمات

Many moments we can’t get back … Words aren’t everything

عيشة حرة ومرة … والقلب يهوى مر 

Life is free and bitter … And the heart loves once

بتقوليلي ما بتنسيني …  نسيتي وعدك لااا؟

You tell me you won’t forget me … You forgot your promise, no? 

يا مجنون

Oh crazy one

حضني لسا دافي …  ما بتخافي ربك؟

My embrace is still warm … Have you no shame?

اه اه اه 

Yeah, yeah, yeah

لا تقولي لوم لو سبتك يوم … لا مش انا المجنون

Don’t blame me if I leave you one day … No, I’m not the crazy one

واقفة الدنيا تدور … تغدر فيكي يا مجنون

The world has stopped spinning … It betrayed you, oh crazy one

بتقوليلي ما بتنسيني …  نسيتي وعدك لااا؟

You tell me you won’t forget me … You forgot your promise, no? 

يا مجنون

Oh crazy one

حضني لسا دافي …  ما بتخافي ربك؟

My embrace is still warm … Have you no shame?

اه اه اه 

Yeah, yeah, yeah

مالك غيري … قلبي حبك زي ما انتي

You have no one but me … My heart loves you as you are

يا مجنون

Oh crazy one

كزبت عينك لما قلتي حبك ملكي

Your eyes lied when you said your love was mine

 اه اه اه

Yeah yeah yeah

مجنون بحبك انا … تشهد علي السما

I’m crazy in love with you … The sky is my witness

مهما خبيت … لو كنتي عود من شرار لمسك فيكي  ليوم الموت

Whatever you hide … Even if you were a stick of fire I’d hold you until my dying day

بتقوليلي ما بتنسيني …  نسيتي وعدك لااا؟

You tell me you won’t forget me … You forgot your promise, no? 

يا مجنون

Oh crazy one

حضني لسا دافي …  ما بتخافي ربك؟

My embrace is still warm … Have you no shame?

اه اه اه 

Yeah, yeah, yeah

مالك غيري … قلبي حبك زي ما انتي

You have no one but me … My heart loves you as you are

يا مجنون

Oh crazy one

كزبت عينك لما قلتي حبك ملكي

Your eyes lied when you said your love was mine

 اه اه اه

Yeah yeah yeah

Vocabulary / مفردات

يخزي العين
[Something masc.] is a disgrace or is shameful
Literal translation: it disgraces the eyes

ماسك/ة (مسك)
Holding

عاد
To come back or to get back

مُرة
Bitter

مَرة
Once

يهوى / هوى
He/it loves / he/it loved
When used as a noun, هوى can also mean "passion"

بتنسي / نسيتي
You (fem.) forget / you (fem.) forgot

حضن
Hug or embrace (noun and verb); bosom

ما بتخافي ربك؟
This line literally translates to: “do you (fem.) not fear your lord." While it’s quite common to reference religion in Arabic, references to religion in English usually come off as a lot more intense. For this reason, we’ve translated this line as, “have you no shame?” While the words are less true to the Arabic version, the meaning feels more true.

مالك
  مال + preposition is a way to show possession. For example, مالك means something is yours.

لوم
Blame

تشهد / شهدت
She/you (masc.) witness or testify / She/you (masc.) witnessed or testified

شرار ج شرارات
Spark/s

يوم الموت
The day of death