Ya Ayn Mulayiitayn Lyrics – Written Phonetically So You Can Sing It!
Lebanese Folk Song made famous by Samira Tawfik
Learn how to sing a famous dance song from the Middle East! There are many ways to spell the name of this song, including Al Ain Molayaitin, Ya Ayn Mawlayiitan, Al Ya Ein Moulayetin, and sometimes even “Ya Ayn” for short.
This song was first featured in Episode 002 of the belly dance podcast A Little Lighter. Al Eyn Mulayitain (“Two Trips to the Water Spring”), is a song about a girl in the country who crosses a bridge multiple times a day collecting water for her family. That’s nice, but the song is magnetic because it’s also a love song. On her trips to gather water, she hopes to meet the man she loves.
(Spelled so English speakers can pronounce it) “Al eyen moo lay iten. Woht nash moo lay yah. Jis-rah ha-did en gahd-ah men, dohs rehj lay yah”
The rhythm of the song is Baladi Lubnan. Maybe that’s a way to say Lebanon? It’s a unique rhythm because there’s no emphasis on the first note. It’s like you’re holding your breath, landing on each measure a beat later with more weight.
A big bassy davul drum, carried with shoulder straps like a big marching band drum in the West often drives the bass line. Ya Ayn Mawlayiitan is in the maqam Bayyati.
And like many songs similar to this one, there is often a mijwiz or mizmar, this loud reeded instrument that gets the party started.
My bandmate from Lebanon says that this song is old school now and gets played at village weddings, but not so much in urban areas. Good to know.
This song is actually a debka. I’ve heard it pronounced “deb-kee” as well. Maybe there are a lot of pronunciations and I’m not saying it correctly in any of them.
To be honest, I’ve always danced to this song Ya Ayn as if it was a saidi piece.
Do some debka dance moves!
Ya Ayn Mawlayitan (ياعين موليتين) Lyrics For Non-Arabic Speaking Singers
Eh-lah eyen moh lay itain
oo-Wit nash moh lie-ee yah
Jess-ser-il Ha-did en git(d)-ah men
dohs rehj-jeh-lay-yah
Ah – Hah-lehn-na wahs-saH-lehn wah mahr-Hab
bel beel-lee jun
Lah-gah-3ahd-ah-wah rohsh iw-wah-rid lis-
soh-oh-mor-rah-leh-eh-man-jun
No-bah ee-goo-loon en-seh-dah3 noh
Bah-ee goo-loon-in-jun
No-bah ee-goo-loon sah-bay-tah ber-
ras (j)en-nay-yah
Bellydancegeek.com also has some helpful info on this song.