Welcome to a new post  🙂 مرحبا بكم في مدوّنة جديدة. I have a new song for you today , a recent one that got released by the great Emirati singer – Hussain El Jassmi. It seems like every summer, he keeps delighting يستمر في إسعاد his audience جمهوره  with a new song أغنية/surprise مفاجأة (You can check my post from last summer here)! This summer, the new song (in Egyptian Arabic) is called “a piece of my heart” حِتّة من قلبي or قِطْعَة مِنْ قَلْبِي in Egyptian Arabic.

Photo by Isaac Quesada on Unsplash

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

More about the word حِتَّة

The main word in this song seems to be the Egyptian word Hitta حِتّة or Qitʕa قِطْعَة as it’s said in Standard Arabic.

1- The general meaning of the word حِتّة is a piece/part of something.

An example would be:

خُد كلُ حتة من البيتسا دي

Have some/piece of this pizza

2- It also has another meaning, and that is a place مكان/ corner.

An example would be:

في حتّة بحب أروحها معاك

There is a place I like to go to with you

Interestingly, both of these meanings are used in this song!

The first meaning appears in the title, i.e. a piece of my heart

The second meaning (place) is used in this line here below:

وعندي إنتي ف حته

An for me, you are in a very special place

What is meant here is that ‘she” has a very special place in his heart.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Now, let’s move to the song 🙂

*The intended meaning is put between brackets.

حته من قلبي

Piece of my heart

¹“Kani w mani” is a phrase that does not mean anything – literally! It’s used to refer to something that is confusing/ unreal/ not clear. It’s said that it goes back to ancient Egypt مصر القديمة  and there’s a proverb that goes like: ‘don’t tell neither kani nor mani’ “لا تقولّي لا كاني ولا ماني”> don’t tell me kani or mani, i.e. don’t come up with excuses.وش من غير كاني وماني

A face without this and that (kani w mani)

(Straightforward without any manipulation/ beating around the bush)

طبعي بدخل في الموضوع

My nature is to get straight to the point

(I like being very direct)

إنتي صورتك مستلماني

Your picture is getting hold of me

(Your picture is always in my mind)

كل أيام الإسبوع

Every day of the week

يا حته يا حته يا حته من قلبي

Oh you – a piece, a piece, a piece of my heart

لقيت نُصي

I’ve found my (other) half

ولقيت جوي

And found my mood

(And I found the one I get along with)

وعندي إنتي ف حته

An for me, you are in a very special place

(You’re so special to me)

وليه أخبّي؟

And why would I hide (it)?

تعالي بُصي

Come look

بتحلوّي

You are getting (more) beautiful

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

وإحنا سوا لو مين ينساني

When we’re together, whoever it is, forget about me

أتشغل عنك ممنوع

Being busy with something else, is not allowed

وانتي جنبي انتي مافيش تاني

When you’re beside me, there is nobody else

(Nobody else matters but  you)

رقمي من الخدمة أهو مرفوع

My number – from the service – here it is, disconnected

(My phone is out of service)

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

• 1
  “Kani w mani” is a phrase that does not mean anything – literally! It’s used to refer to something that is confusing/ unreal/ not clear. It’s said that it goes back to ancient Egypt مصر القديمة  and there’s a proverb that goes like: ‘don’t tell neither kani nor mani’ “لا تقولّي لا كاني ولا ماني”> don’t tell me kani or mani, i.e. don’t come up with excuses.