| Song | Cradle of Civilisation (feat. Mai Khalil) |
| Artist | Lowkey |
| Album | Soundtrack to the Struggle... |
| [ti:] | |
| [ar:] | |
| [al:] | |
| [00:00.17] | |
| [00:08.56] | If my mother got angry or frustrated with me, she'd say..."oh, esh ked? heluwa el hurriya" |
| [00:14.74] | ...and the basic translation of that is "Oh,how beautiful is freedom" |
| [00:22.92] | But where is freedom |
| [00:33.40] | Close my eyes, I can still hear my ummi saying |
| [00:46.46] | Where is our freedom? |
| [01:53.22][01:50.39][01:47.65][01:41.29][01:38.44][01:35.66][00:41.67][00:38.67][00:36.05][00:29.75][00:26.87][00:24.12] | Oh, esh ked? heluwa el hurriya |
| [00:48.27] | This is for Baghdad, the place of my mothers birth |
| [00:51.05] | The cradle of civilization, for what it’s worth |
| [00:53.82] | The land I’ve never seen, culture I’ve never known |
| [00:56.67] | Iraq is in my heart, my blood, my flesh and bones |
| [00:59.85] | The air I’ve never breathed, fragrance I’ve never smelt |
| [01:02.58] | The pride I never had, the nationality that I never felt |
| [01:05.53] | Saddam was bad, are the American’s even more so? |
| [01:08.26] | They made me groan like I was missing part of my torso |
| [01:11.34] | But I never picked up a grenade in my garden |
| [01:14.38] | I never saw people I love die starving |
| [01:17.41] | I never saw my family die through many years of sanctions |
| [01:20.40] | While the ruler’s family lived in palaces and mansions |
| [01:23.22] | Never had a family member kidnapped for a ransom |
| [01:26.15] | Never lost a friend to violence that was random |
| [01:29.17] | Bombings, occupation, torture, intimidation |
| [01:32.02] | A million dead people doesn’t equal liberation |
| [01:44.98] | Close my eyes, I can still hear my ummi saying |
| [01:54.74] | Listen! |
| [01:57.99] | Where is our freedom? |
| [01:59.53] | Forget division based on ethnicity or religion |
| [02:02.11] | Whether you Sunni, Shia, Kurdish or Christian |
| [02:05.27] | Pain is still pain if you’re a person that’s missing |
| [02:08.22] | We all deserve a life in this earth that we live in |
| [02:11.27] | Is there enough words that can say |
| [02:13.94] | How deeply Baghdad is burnin' today |
| [02:16.89] | And it’s not about pity, hands out or sympathy |
| [02:20.01] | It’s about pride, respect, honour and dignity |
| [02:23.05] | Babies being born with deformities from uranium |
| [02:25.80] | Those babies aren’t just Iraqi, they’re Mesopotamian |
| [02:29.39] | What I view on the news is making me shiver |
| [02:32.02] | Cause I look at the victims and see the same face in the mirror |
| [02:34.72] | This system of division makes it harder for you and me |
| [02:38.03] | Peace is a question, the only answer is unity |
| [02:41.27] | So many dreams about this place that I’ve never seen |
| [02:44.25] | The place my family had to leave in the 70’s |
| [03:04.69][03:01.87][02:59.17][02:52.83][02:49.98][02:47.40] | Oh, esh ked? heluwa el hurriya |
| [02:56.57] | Close my eyes, I can still hear my ummi saying |
| [03:09.84] | Where is our freedom? |
| [03:11.25] | It rains white phosphorus in Fallujah |
| [03:14.02] | This is for those that won’t live to see the future |
| [03:16.89] | Sorry that I wasn’t there, Sorry that I couldn’t help |
| [03:19.95] | I’m sorry for every tear, Sorry you’ve been put through hell |
| [03:23.03] | Still I feel like an immigrant, Englishman amongst Arabs and an Arab amongst Englishmen |
| [03:28.68] | Like I said they never gave me the culture |
| [03:31.42] | But they did give me Kubdad Haleb,Hakaka and Dolma |
| [03:34.75] | Ana isme Kareem |
| [03:37.11] | Wa ohmre thalatha wa-’ishrun |
| [03:40.72] | Umi min Baghdad, wa abuya min Dover |
| [03:43.86] | And that’s the combination that I carry on my shoulders |
| [03:47.08] | Still I rep, till my death, till they kill and steal my flesh |
| [03:49.87] | From now all the way back to Gilgamesh |
| [03:53.15] | Such a villianized and criticized nation |
| [03:55.50] | You will always be the cradle of civilization |
| [04:16.50][04:13.54][04:10.88][04:04.73][04:01.71][03:59.00] | Oh, esh ked? heluwa el hurriya |
| [04:08.23] | Close my eyes, I can still hear my ummi saying |
| [04:21.28] | Where is our freedom? |
| [04:23.18] | In my sleep, in my dreams Motherland I can still feel you calling me |
| [04:28.73] | In my sleep, in my dreams Motherland I can still feel you calling me |
| [04:34.87] | In my sleep, in my dreams Motherland I can still feel you calling me |
| [04:41.74] | I can still feel you calling me |
| [04:44.65] | I can still feel you calling me |
| ti: | |
| ar: | |
| al: | |
| [00:00.17] | |
| [00:08.56] | If my mother got angry or frustrated with me, she' d say..." oh, esh ked? heluwa el hurriya" |
| [00:14.74] | ... and the basic translation of that is " Oh, how beautiful is freedom" |
| [00:22.92] | But where is freedom |
| [00:33.40] | Close my eyes, I can still hear my ummi saying |
| [00:46.46] | Where is our freedom? |
| [01:53.22][01:50.39][01:47.65][01:41.29][01:38.44][01:35.66][00:41.67][00:38.67][00:36.05][00:29.75][00:26.87][00:24.12] | Oh, esh ked? heluwa el hurriya |
| [00:48.27] | This is for Baghdad, the place of my mothers birth |
| [00:51.05] | The cradle of civilization, for what it' s worth |
| [00:53.82] | The land I' ve never seen, culture I' ve never known |
| [00:56.67] | Iraq is in my heart, my blood, my flesh and bones |
| [00:59.85] | The air I' ve never breathed, fragrance I' ve never smelt |
| [01:02.58] | The pride I never had, the nationality that I never felt |
| [01:05.53] | Saddam was bad, are the American' s even more so? |
| [01:08.26] | They made me groan like I was missing part of my torso |
| [01:11.34] | But I never picked up a grenade in my garden |
| [01:14.38] | I never saw people I love die starving |
| [01:17.41] | I never saw my family die through many years of sanctions |
| [01:20.40] | While the ruler' s family lived in palaces and mansions |
| [01:23.22] | Never had a family member kidnapped for a ransom |
| [01:26.15] | Never lost a friend to violence that was random |
| [01:29.17] | Bombings, occupation, torture, intimidation |
| [01:32.02] | A million dead people doesn' t equal liberation |
| [01:44.98] | Close my eyes, I can still hear my ummi saying |
| [01:54.74] | Listen! |
| [01:57.99] | Where is our freedom? |
| [01:59.53] | Forget division based on ethnicity or religion |
| [02:02.11] | Whether you Sunni, Shia, Kurdish or Christian |
| [02:05.27] | Pain is still pain if you' re a person that' s missing |
| [02:08.22] | We all deserve a life in this earth that we live in |
| [02:11.27] | Is there enough words that can say |
| [02:13.94] | How deeply Baghdad is burnin' today |
| [02:16.89] | And it' s not about pity, hands out or sympathy |
| [02:20.01] | It' s about pride, respect, honour and dignity |
| [02:23.05] | Babies being born with deformities from uranium |
| [02:25.80] | Those babies aren' t just Iraqi, they' re Mesopotamian |
| [02:29.39] | What I view on the news is making me shiver |
| [02:32.02] | Cause I look at the victims and see the same face in the mirror |
| [02:34.72] | This system of division makes it harder for you and me |
| [02:38.03] | Peace is a question, the only answer is unity |
| [02:41.27] | So many dreams about this place that I' ve never seen |
| [02:44.25] | The place my family had to leave in the 70' s |
| [03:04.69][03:01.87][02:59.17][02:52.83][02:49.98][02:47.40] | Oh, esh ked? heluwa el hurriya |
| [02:56.57] | Close my eyes, I can still hear my ummi saying |
| [03:09.84] | Where is our freedom? |
| [03:11.25] | It rains white phosphorus in Fallujah |
| [03:14.02] | This is for those that won' t live to see the future |
| [03:16.89] | Sorry that I wasn' t there, Sorry that I couldn' t help |
| [03:19.95] | I' m sorry for every tear, Sorry you' ve been put through hell |
| [03:23.03] | Still I feel like an immigrant, Englishman amongst Arabs and an Arab amongst Englishmen |
| [03:28.68] | Like I said they never gave me the culture |
| [03:31.42] | But they did give me Kubdad Haleb, Hakaka and Dolma |
| [03:34.75] | Ana isme Kareem |
| [03:37.11] | Wa ohmre thalatha wa' ishrun |
| [03:40.72] | Umi min Baghdad, wa abuya min Dover |
| [03:43.86] | And that' s the combination that I carry on my shoulders |
| [03:47.08] | Still I rep, till my death, till they kill and steal my flesh |
| [03:49.87] | From now all the way back to Gilgamesh |
| [03:53.15] | Such a villianized and criticized nation |
| [03:55.50] | You will always be the cradle of civilization |
| [04:16.50][04:13.54][04:10.88][04:04.73][04:01.71][03:59.00] | Oh, esh ked? heluwa el hurriya |
| [04:08.23] | Close my eyes, I can still hear my ummi saying |
| [04:21.28] | Where is our freedom? |
| [04:23.18] | In my sleep, in my dreams Motherland I can still feel you calling me |
| [04:28.73] | In my sleep, in my dreams Motherland I can still feel you calling me |
| [04:34.87] | In my sleep, in my dreams Motherland I can still feel you calling me |
| [04:41.74] | I can still feel you calling me |
| [04:44.65] | I can still feel you calling me |