PHOTO CREDIT: Above photo by John Rickman Photography, San Jose, California.

This page contains a translation into English of the lyrics to the Iraqi song "Fog en-Nakhal", which was popularized by Nazem al-Ghazali. Also included is a transliteration of the Arabic lyrics into the Roman alphabet so you can sing along if you like.

• Fog en-Nakhal (Above the Palm Trees)
• Song Title in Arabic: فوق النخل
• Lyricist: Muhammad Ali Al-Agha (some sources say Jabouri Al-Najjar)
• Composer: Othman Al Mousali (some sources say Saleh Al Kuwaiti or Rashid al Sheikh)
• Original Artist: Nazem al-Ghazali

This song has also been recorded by Sabah Fakhri, Dania, Ilham al-Madfai, and Kazem el-Saher.

Song lyrics are provided for educational purposes. If you like the song, please purchase either the album or a download from an authorized source.

About the Song

There is a legend surrounding how the song came to be. In many traditional Middle Eastern cultures, including Iraq, homes consist of a two-story quadrangle surrounding a central courtyard. The upper story is called a "fawqani" in the Iraqi dialect. Lower-income people rent these rooms.

A young man who lived in one of these rooms went out to work every day. He returned in the evening, going straight to his room without speaking to anyone. One evening, upon his return, he noticed the beautiful face of a young woman from a rich family looking out the window in one of the second-story rooms. He was captivated by her beauty, and wanted to talk to her, but in his traditional culture that was not an option.

So, instead of speaking to her, he began to sing, in a beautiful and captivating voice:

Above, I've got a friend above,
Above, I've got a friend above,
I dare with your cheek,
I dare to talk to you!

The neighbors noticed the beautiful music, and came out to see who was singing. He continued to sing every evening in the days that followed, and the neighbors joined in, but with their Baghdadi dialect that changed "above us" to "palm trees". The young man's story ended with marriage to the young woman he admired.

The song title is sometimes spelled "Fog Ennakhal", "Fogh In Nakhal", "Fawk al Nakhl", or "Fog Elna Khel".

Some say the Jewish Iraqi brothers Saleh and Dawood El Kuwaiti wrote this song. In 1983, Sadam Hussain ordered his culture minister to erase their names from the musical archives. Hundreds of their songs either became "folk" songs or their credits were attributed to other musicians.

About Nazem al-Ghazali

Nazem al-Ghazali was a superstar Iraqi artist. He was born in 1921 in Baghdad and studied at the Institute of Fine Arts in Iraq. He started his performing arts career as an actor. However, a few years later he was inspired by the great singers of his youth, including Oum Kalthoum, Asmahan, Farid al-Atrache, Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Leila Murad, and Nagat al-Saghira. This led him to shift his career aspirations to music. In 1948 he joined the Andalusian Muashahat Ensemble. He died in 1963, in his early 40's.