YAS – AZ CHI BEGAM (What Can I Say)
-ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS & SONG INFORMATION BELOW-
“AZ CHI BEGAM?”- (What Can I Say)
** This Song Is Dedicated To The Students Of Shahid Rahimi School In Doroodzan. **
(The children wounded in a fire as a result of a tragic accident)
You say line up the words next to each other again?
What for? Hhhh …. OK take a seat
Be mine for a moment, sit next to me
Just for a minute, come and see what I feel
Pass the microphone over – let me begin
About these times and a heavy heart
Each one of my songs equals another pain
Anyway, can’t think a better thought.
… Of *Jomong who’s become our symbol of a hero
And IRAN that’s become his business source
Where’s our artist (talent) you ask? Gone.
He’s singing underground – without a permit he’s not allowed
What can I say?
You expect what to come out of these pockets?
Besides a white piece of paper, all torn up-
True, lots written on it, but all with white ink
Just like me, you too have troubles of your own, you got plenty
I know, your main pain is no one to share your sympathy
I’m not anyone to feel any pain with these aches
But tell me who’s responsible for these tears?
Chrous:
Dear God, what can I talk about? Your children, all worn out and tired?
All this pain I feel, has broken my ribs
Don’t see my laughs, cuz’ it’s just taped over my lips
This is me, dragging my foot prints
What can I say? Tell me, of a broken spirit-
That took a nose dive to the center of troubles
Of days crossed out in a calendar-
That shed news on societies fading away
What can I say? About the kids all the way downtown?
That have enough food to eat, but once a month
Whose only reason for sleep, is to dream of tomorrow
Whose only amusement is hanging out at **Beheshte Zahra
Or maybe I should talk of those buddies living up in palaces
Working on imports everything from China
You tell me then – what else should I say?
So now it’s been said, did the pain go away?
What can I say? Maybe you like to hear stories
Like the story of those students in the village
If the story is bitter … blame it on reality-
The story of ***Narges and other flowers of our homeland
Who sit & wonder in grief, with a hundred “Why’s” and “what if’s”
“If only we had a heater that day instead of a gas lamp”
The lamp that fell and took the whole class in flames
A fire that tore the kids’ skin, as if attacked by wolves
An innocent child screaming to run for the doors-
But the doors were locked.
My eyes are dry, dear God, give me some tears
With what hands will these kids do their homework now?
Childhood died on the way to a class that burned down,
Now in wait for a plastic surgeon to come help out
(YAS) never wants to close the story in the end
Because he still wants to see Narges laugh again
Chrous:
What can I say? It’s not even morning but the sun has set
In the hearts of the school kids of Doroodzan
Don’t be sad now, hear my voice, coming from under your house
I’ll make sure your voices will be heard in everyone’s ears
What can I say? Of a heart, that’s nothing but a name-
A lifetime half in tears and other half, complaints?
Or of a spirit imprisoned, its body walking around
We have to make do, somehow make it work
What can I say? Tell me, of a broken spirit-
That took a nose dive to the center of troubles
But I swear to God, I swear on ****Takhty
That I will go without fear towards my destiny
This life is ruthless but I’m wearing my patience
In the fashion of life, I’m a model for pain
But I’ve torn to pieces those pages of my past
I am now standing upfront – circling troubles
What can I say?
(Music Translated By: NSB)
* Jomong: Famous Asian serial/Actor (South Korea)
** Beheshte Zahra: Zahra’s Paradise, the name of the main cemetery in Tehran
*** Narges: The name of a one of the girl’s who became victim of the school fire.
**** Takhty: National hero/sports champion