not understanding the words

Date: Sun, 15 Jun 2003 11:53:11 -0600
Newsgroups: rec.music.arabic
Size: 1,072 bytes

When I was a little kid, in the sixties, I used to enjoy contemporary rock.
I would lay in bed at night and listen to it - hardly understanding a word
of it, garbled as it was. I would make up my own words. My own meanings.
Nowedays, when people find out I listen to Arabic music, even though my
knowledge or the Arabic language is kind of sketchy, they ask, "how can you
enjoy it if you don't understand the words?". I understand some of the
words but its beauty transcends words. Each song has its own meaning to me,
regardless of what the words are supposed to mean. Furthermore I often
understand as much or more of the Arabic songs than I do of hip hop. How
many of you actually understand the words to hip hop without looking at the
lyrics? Would you even WANT to understand it?
In a way, my enjoyment of Arabic music is actually enhanced by not
understanding the words. I hate love songs. But some 95% of songs are love
songs. Not understanding the words lets me pretend it is not a love song
but about something else. That frees my mind to take it in.