Nador English translation
von Namika

I close my eyes, stand still for a moment and breathe in deeply
There's a smell of saffron, honey cakes and grilled meat
A whiff of petrol mingles in
The rubbish shrinks in the sun...I open my eyes
A couple of metres away, caravans go by
An old woman in a djellaba scrutinises me keenly from the side
My skin colour is the same
But I still don't look the same as most of them
Between the tourist palaces
The crumbly facades of houses hide themselves
Stray cats, begging children, overstuffed bazaars
Sheep transporters, rattling buses, yelling taxi-drivers
A small barefoot boy playing with a ball
Snake charmers and street painters
My open ear understands every word
Even though I wasn't born here
Because the roots of my bloodline
Lie hidden deep beneath this earth


On the search for myself
In the streets of Nador, Nador
I feel at home, and I feel lost, lost

Street lights go on, I walk on the beach
And see my shadow on the sand
I'm barefoot in the water; a silky wind accompanies the waves to the shore
I look into the distance... fluttering flags, lit-up mountains
Sleeping volcanoes; golden stars hang on the roof of the world
An older man fastens his boat
The sail in his wrinkled hands
I greet him with 'Salam', and he smiles at me
His tired face speaks volumes
In moments like this, I wonder
What it would have been like, to have been born here
Other friends, other values, but the heart beats the same

On the search for myself
In the streets of Nador, Nador
I feel at home, and I feel lost, lost

2,000 miles lie between my worlds
I often feel torn, I would like to unite them
I'd like to know so much where I belong
In my dreams, the Main flows into the Mediterranean


On the search for myself
In the streets of Nador, Nador
I feel at home, and I feel lost, lost