info req: LAYLA, LAYLA

Subject: Lyr Add: LAYLA, LAYLA
From: Barbara
Date: 06 Jun 98 - 04:22 PM

I've known this song for years, but not the source of it. Larry Hanks sings it, as do Rielly and Moloney. I first heard it back in the 60's I think and the author was listed as someone Schwartz, and the music lifted from a Pakistani film soundtrack.
The first verse and chorus are as follows:

The eyes of a child behold everything from under
The eyes of a young man behold his lover's face with wonder
The eyes of a young man look upon the flowing river
What of those whose eyes are one? They leave this wheel forever

Chorus:
Layla Layla, this world is but a game
Winners lose and losers win,
and the game is still the same
Layla Layla, this life is but a play
Those who say don't know
And those who know, don't say

Thanks, Barbara

Subject: Lyr Add: LAYLA, LAYLA
From: Barbara
Date: 06 Jun 98 - 08:18 PM

Here's the rest of the words:

2. Where is the man who in his heart can really feel it?
Can he feel it in his heart and then can he reveal it?
Let him sit and sing, and face the flowing river
Snakes and arrows cannot go where sound remains forever.

Chorus

3.How can a man accept life who cannot accept dying?
How can a man achieve his purpose without ever trying?
How can a man have courage who cannot as well be tender?
He who wins is he who is learning to surrender.

4. Where is the man who in his heart can really feel it?
Can he feel it in his heart and then can he reveal it?
Let him sit and sing, and let his heart be gladder
Chants to God until the masquerade no longer matters.

Last Chorus: Layla Layla, this world is but a game
Winners lose and losers win,
And the game is still the same
Layla Layla, this life is but a play
God will not forget the one who sings his name.

Subject: Lyr Add: LEELA LEELA (Marley's Ghost)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 08 May 02 - 07:19 PM

I found 2 more versions of this song, and there are some interesting differences among them.

Lyrics copied from http://www.cyberbites.com/marleys_ghost/mg61.html
(the web site of a band called Marley's Ghost).

LEELA LEELA
(©1974 Tantra Research Institute arr. Marley's Ghost)

CHO: Leela, Leela, this life is just a game.
Winners lose and losers win. The game is still the same.
Leela, Leela, this world is just a play.
Those who say don't know and those who know don't say.

The eyes of the baby look at everything from under.
The eyes of the young man behold his lady's face with wonder.
The eyes of the old man look upon the flowing river.
What of those whose eyes are one? They leave the world forever. CHO.

And where is the man who in his heart can really feel it?
Can he feel it in himself, and then can he reveal it?
Then let him sit and sing and sail the flowing river.
Snakes and arrows cannot go where sound remains forever. CHO.

How can a man accept life who has not accepted dying?
How can he achieve his purpose without even trying?
How can a man have courage who cannot as well be tender?
He who wins the game is he who's learning to surrender. CHO.

And show me the man who in his heart can really feel it.
Can he feel it in himself, and then can he reveal it?
Then let him sit and sing and let his heart grow gladder.
Chant to God until the masquerade no longer matters. CHO.

Those who say don't know and those who know don't say.

[Recorded by Marley's Ghost on "Across the River," 1998.]

Subject: Lyr Add: LEELA LEELA (Willy Schwarz)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 08 May 02 - 07:20 PM

Copied from http://www.rattaymusic.de/releases/misc./Schwarz.Live.html

LEELA LEELA
(Willy Schwarz)

As a baby I looked up at everything from under,
And as a young man I beheld my lover's face with wonder.
As the years roll by, I try to see the truth and say it,
But the times I see this world's a game are the times that I can play it.

CHO: Leela, leela: This world is just a game.
Players and the rules may change, but the game goes on the same.
Leela leela: This life is but a play.
Those who say don't know and those who know don't say.

O can you realize it? Can you really feel it?
Can you feel it in yourself and then can you reveal it?
Can you sing and dance and can you fill your heart with gladness?
Can you share your joy in a world so full of grief and madness?

CHO: Leela, leela: This world is just a game.
Winners lose and losers win, and the game is still the same.
Leela, leela: This life is just a dance.
No one knows when the music ends, so join the dance!

If you want to gain the prize, O hear me, I implore you:
Leave this world a little more lovely than it was before you.
We all seem to thirst for love and so for love we're seeking,
But the more love you can give away, the more you'll end up keeping.

[Recorded by Willy Schwarz on "Live for the Moment," 1999.]

Subject: RE: info req: LAYLA, LAYLA
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 08 May 02 - 07:32 PM

The song is a brief abridgement of the Arabic song, "Aba'ad" which is over 20 minutes long. See Aba'ad Layla Layla

Subject: RE: info req: LAYLA, LAYLA
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 08 May 02 - 07:35 PM

I put the site, but ?? Try again. Abaad Layla Layla

Subject: RE: info req: LAYLA, LAYLA
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 08 May 02 - 07:37 PM

Half way through the 20 minutes, you learn that "Layla" means "night."

Subject: RE: info req: LAYLA, LAYLA
From: Stewie
Date: 08 May 02 - 08:33 PM

There was a more recent thread on 'Leela' that I am unable to find. Jody Stecher recorded it on his 'Snake Bake a Hoecake' album (1974). Willy Schwarz (Billy then)played electric steel and whistle on the recording. Jody noted that Schwarz 'wrote the English words, appropriate to his situation at the time, as a kind of singing commercial promoting Hindu chanting'. He says that, in the song, 'Leela' is a Sanskrit-derived word for 'game'.

--Stewie.

Subject: RE: info req: LAYLA, LAYLA
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 08 May 02 - 08:59 PM

Layla Layla translated from Hebrew:

Night after night, the wind strengthens
Night after night, the tree tops are noisy,
Night after night, a star is singing,
Sleep. sleep, put out the candle.

Night after night, close your eyes,
Night after night, on the way to you,
Night after night, armed they rode,
Sleep, sleep, three horsemen.

Night after night, one was eaten,
Night after night, the second died on the way,
Night after night, and the third that remained,
Sleep, sleep- did not remember your name.

The Hebrew is also given at this site: Layla Layla

An old Semitic eastern song, present in several countries. The above is the version from the Middle East Hebraic communities. The Arabic version is too long to post.
The song Leela being posted here is not the same song as that in the title of this thread.

Subject: RE: info req: LAYLA, LAYLA
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 08 May 02 - 09:19 PM

Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon wrote a song called Layla. No relation to any of the above.
Cho.:
Layla, you got me on my knees,
Layla, I'm begging, darling, please,
Layla darling, won't you ease my worried mind.

Ugh! Somehow there ought to be a line in the above that rhymes with stinking cheese.

Subject: RE: info req: LAYLA, LAYLA
From: lamarca
Date: 09 May 02 - 06:08 PM

Jody Stecher said somewhere (maybe the liner notes for the CD re-release of Snake Baked a Hoecake) that his recording added to the world population of Leelas, judging by the number of female fans who've come up to him at concerts and said "Oh, I named my daughter Leela because I love that song you do!"

Subject: RE: info req: LAYLA, LAYLA
From: GUEST,Volgadon
Date: 04 Feb 08 - 09:25 AM

"The Hebrew is also given at this site: Layla Layla

An old Semitic eastern song, present in several countries. The above is the version from the Middle East Hebraic communities. The Arabic version is too long to post.
The song Leela being posted here is not the same song as that in the title of this thread."

I'm pretty sure this was written by Nathan Alterman in the 1920s or 30s...

Subject: RE: info req: LAYLA, LAYLA
From: GUEST,Volgadon
Date: 04 Feb 08 - 02:06 PM

I checked our book of Hebrew lullabies, the lyrics for Laila, Laila, are indeed by Nathan Alterman, the music by Mordechai Ze'ira.

Subject: RE: info req: LAYLA, LAYLA
From: GUEST,Volgadon
Date: 04 Feb 08 - 02:33 PM

Arik Einstein performs it on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNNEO8UEALU

Subject: RE: info req: LAYLA, LAYLA
From: Andrez
Date: 04 Feb 08 - 03:17 PM

My exposure to the song was through the Jody Stecher recording: Leela. I always took the title to refer to the Hindu concept of Lila. In that system, Lila is a way of describing all reality, including the cosmos, as the outcome of creative play by the divine absolute (Brahman). Lila is also used to refer to the illusory nature of existence. Based on this I cant really see that there is an Arabic or Hebrew connection with the lyrics recorded by Jody. but then I dont know anything about the songs origins and havent yet had the time to look at some of the other references above. I'm open to persuasion otherwise.

Cheers,

Andrez

Subject: RE: info req: LAYLA, LAYLA
From: GUEST,Volgadon
Date: 04 Feb 08 - 04:19 PM

There isn't a Hebrew connection, I just saw the lyrics posted here with erroneous information, so I corrected it.

Subject: RE: info req: LAYLA, LAYLA
From: Andrez
Date: 04 Feb 08 - 06:18 PM

Oi Vey! I thought it was stretching things a little.

:-)

Andrez

Subject: RE: info req: LAYLA, LAYLA
From: GUEST,seth in Olympia
Date: 13 Jan 11 - 01:01 AM

Dug around and found my 1974 copy of "Snake Baked a Hoecake" In the notes J.S. says the song comes from Nepal. There is a YouTube video of the song being performed by John Adams in Oregon in 2009. He says the original song is about disillusionment, but the words are too complex and untrans;ltable, so Jody and his friends made up some words of their own. On the "snake " album, they used hand drums and a tamboura and whistles, flutes,guitars group singing and who knows what else-I've always liked this version just made a CD with it on it for my three grand-daughters ages 8,2 and three months- never knew quite where it came from and now I don't knw more than I did before but I really love the song

Subject: RE: info req: LAYLA, LAYLA
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 13 Jan 11 - 02:35 PM

Update on Arabic Aba'ad (Far Away), often called "Leyla, Leyla."

Aba ad

Brief extracts-

'Far away you were, or near to what your heart desires. Always, always, you are in good hands.
--------------
I hope you did not forget me, I hope. And I hope another love did not come along and take you.
------------------
I am waiting for your love, I am waiting but I can not.
-------------------
Layla, layla, layla, Allah, layla, layla, layla.

Night, night, night, oh God, night, night, night. (Many variations on this phrase).
----------------
(And many more verses)