Newsgroups: alt.rock-n-roll
Subject: Re: roger waters talks arabic
From: kmagnacca@eagle.wesleyan.edu
Date: 13 Oct 92 19:26:07 EDT
Organization: Wesleyan University

   Okay, this is the translation of the Arabic in ATD as done
by a member of the Pink Floyd mailing list.

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Hi guys,

Last night I gave a close listen to the arabic words spoken at the 
end of the song "Late Home Tonight Part 1" in the Amused To Death 
album of our very precious Roger.

Some of the phrases were really hard to grasp because they were 
being spoken very quickly in the background of the high tempo 
beating drums.

Anyway I tried my best and here is the translation (although not very 
accurate) of what I could grasp:

(1).  At the end of the song, while Roger is singing  the following:
             "And in Tripoli; another ordinary wife
              stares at the dripping tab her old man hadn't 
              time to fix
              too busy mixing politics and rhythm
              in the street below "
      a woman is shouting in the background  in egyptian arabic.
      Apparently she is complaining to her husband and blaming him
      for her sufferings. Her words run as follows:
                  
              ".... And then what !!!! why don't you ever help me ?
              you all the time leave me alone at home and go join your
              fat friends in your endless useless discussions.... 
              I work for you and your family from dawn to dusk, and 
              you don't give a damn ! 
              I badly need to rest, I just wish the devil's angel will
              soon come and take me with him......"

(2). Then the beating drums start, and here everything is very chaotic.
     There are different voices in the background. I was able to distinguish 
     a TV (or radio) commentator talking (but I can't get what he's
     saying) and at the same time there is a crowd shouting slogans
     in arabic. I could not grasp all their words. This what I could get:
               "..... is Great;.......is Great; God is great........
                Death, Death , Death to the ..... (imperialists ?)..."

     I am not sure if the last word is "imperialists". Anyway you get 
     the meaning. I think it's kind of a demonstration of fundamentalist
     muslims. However I 'm not really sure.

(3). At the end of the beating drums, right before the missile explosion,
     the voice of the TV commentator becomes more clear, and he says the 
     following:
               ".....his days are spent at home....as for her, she stays
                alone, she stays alone at home..... while all the men are 
                out gathered at the squarre, she's left to loneliness 
                and (oblivion ?)................BBBBBOOOOOOOOUUUUMMMMMMM"

That's it folks. I want to point out that this translation is not 
completely accurate, and it's not completely word by word.
Arabic cannot be translated word by word into English because it 
won't make any sense. However, overall I think the translation 
is 90% accurate.

By the way I think Roger got these arabic phrases from an egyptian
movie and mixed them into his song. I am certain the arabic is 
egyptian arabic and not libyan arabic as it was meant to be ;
since this song is supposed to be about the bombing of the Lybian 
capital, Tripoli. 

Finally, I hope this tranlation will shed more light about the song.
Ciao,

Fady Alpha

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   Well, that's it.  What do you think?

Karl

Newsgroups: alt.rock-n-roll,alt.rock-roll.metal