This song comes to you from an Algerian-born musician whose work was made famous to US audiences after an introduction by Hans Zimmer. It’s indelibly tied to the Black Hawk Down movie soundtrack. Track 2, to be precise. At least that’s how we see it. We are talking, of course, about Rachid Taha Barra Barra.

Barra Barra: What Does It Mean?

Barra barra, in this context, is more of a colloquialism than something that can be translated directly. Depending on which source you consult, it could mean “Out!” Out! or Get out! Get out! or Outside outside! Most translations we’ve read seem to agree on the first of those.

The music itself is raw and compelling. Reviewer Imran Khan once described it as Maghrebi-Noir, “A furious mix of hip-hop beats, Arabic primal screams and punk rock guitars, Taha brilliantly battles against the ideologies of both Western and Arab traditions.” (Pop Matters, Shocking the Casbah)

We like the live version, sung in native Arabic by the original artist, but we’ve put both that and the movie version here for you to decide for yourself. While you’re doing that, you might mull the irony here. We have a song by an anti-war activist and an outspoken voice for immigrant populations in Europe on the soundtrack of one of the most popular American military movies ever made.

You can find the lyrics to Barra Barra below in both English and Arabic.

You’re welcome.

Remember those scenes? Still gives us chills to watch it.

Now here’s a live “concert” version.

We’re not sure how composer/arranger Hans Zimmer connected with an artist like Rachid Taha (or maybe it was film director Ridley Scott), but we’re glad one or both of them did. This is one of the most iconic elements of the movie…and while Taha himself is from the western side of Africa, it suits the feel of Mogadishu and Somalia perfectly. Even though they are on completely opposite sides of the continent.

Raï music

Raï music is (as best we understand it) a blend of Algerian folk music, uniquely Arabic rock, and some electro-synth type elements. The string rhythm you hear isn’t just guitars (or banjos, but you probably knew that already). It includes the oud and mandolute. The oud is a pear-shaped, stringed instrument (with no frets) accurately described as an ancestor of the guitar. A mandolute in some cases is also caled a mandole. It is similar to the oud (with signficant mandolin elements), but has frets and steel strings. In addition to its use in Raï, mandolutes (or mandoluths) are frequently part of other Arabic/Mediterranean musical styles, including Chaabi, Kabyle, Maqam, and others.

Rachid Taha Barra Barra: Song Lyrics

Barra Barra Lyrics in Arabic

BARRA BARRA hozd wel boghd ou zawara

barra barra fezd wel l´hozd ma b´qa amene

barra barra l´alach we ness menhoussine

barra barra la horma dolm wet ouboudia

barra barra nechfou l´widane helkou b´houratte

barra barra noujoum t´fate derguete chems

barra barra ma b´qa kheir la saada wala z´har

barra barra ma b´kate sadjra sektou la t´iour

barra barra ma bka lil ka n´har ghir dalma

barra barra jahanama ma b´ka zine

barra barra k´tar z´mane ma b´kate horma

barra barra fozd l´harb we dem isil

barra barra ghir l´hitane l´hitane waqfine

barra barra l´khaouf wa ness saktine

barra barra l´hozd wel boghd wa zawara

barra barra wel hozd ma b´qa amene

barra barra nechfou l´widane helkou l´bhourane

barra barra noujoum t´fate derguette chems

barra barra ma b´qa kheir la saada wata z´har

barra barra ma b´qa z´djour saktou la tiour

barra barra ma b´qa lil la n´har ghir dalma

barra barra gh´bina jahanama ma b´ka zine

barra barra k´tar z´méme ma b´qate horma

barra barra l´fezed wel harb wa dem isil

barra barra ghir l´hitane hitane waqfine

barra barra l´khaouf ness saktine

barra barra l´hozd fezd ou zawara

barra barra fezd wel hozd ma b´qa améne

barra barra noujoum t´fate derquéte chéms

barra barra ma b´qa kheir la saada la z´har

barra barra ma b´qa z´djour sektou lé tiour

barra barra ma b´qa lil ka n´har ghir dalma

barra barra djahanama ma b´qa zine

barra barra k´tar z´méne ma b´qate horma

barra barra

Barra Barra Lyrics in English

Get out! Sadness, hate and the reign of arbitrary

Get out! Destruction, jealousy; there is no trust left

Get out! Thirst and people are unlucky

Get out! No honour, but oppression and slavery

Get out! Rivers were dried up and seas have ruined everything

Get out! Stars are switched off and the sun went down

Get out! There are no trees left and the birds stopped singing

Get out! There are neither days, nor nights left, darkness only

Get out! Hell; there is no beauty left

Get out! (solo of mandolute and ululation)

Get out! Time has increased, there is no honour left

Get out! Ruin and war and the blood is flowing

Get out! There are only walls left, walls standing up

Get out! Fear and people remain silent

Get out! Sadness, hate and the reign of arbitrary

Get out! Destruction and jealousy; there is no trust left

Get out! Rivers were dried up and seas have ruined everything

Get out! stars are switched off and the sun went down

Barra Barra

Get out! There is neither good, nor happiness, nor luck anymore

Get out! There are no trees left; the birds stopped singing

Get out! There are neither nights, nor days left; darkness only

Get out! Desolation, hell, there is no beauty left

Get out!

(Silence)

Get out! Time has increased, there is no honour left

Get out! Ruin and war and the blood is flowing

Get out! There are only walls left, walls standing up

Get out! Sadness, hate and the reign of arbitrary

Get out! Destruction and jealousy ; there is no trust left.

Stars are switched off, and the sun went down

Get out! There is neither good, nor happiness, nor luck left

Get out! There are no trees left; birds stopped singing

Get out! There are no neither nights nor days left; darkness only

Get out! Desolation, hell, there is no beauty left

Get out! Time has increased, there is no honour left

Barraaaaa! Barra, barra, barraaaaaa!

“In order for tolerance to have any hope of existing, you have to know who you are, and you have to know who the person you’re dealing with is. That’s what the song is about.” ~ Rachid Taha, Andy Morgan Writes

If this has ya feeling musical, you might go ahead and check out what else is in our Singalongs lineup!