A two-piece Lebanese band just delivered the proper soundtrack for Christmas in Lebanon this year with witty parodies like “All I Want For Christmas Is Dollar” to “Feliz El-balad” (the country went broke).
The lyrics are so sad that the songs in their Christmas-themed spirit come off as actually funny, giving us some laughs out of issues that actually make us miserable.
The performers, Georges Daccache and Georges Mahfouz, who named their band G Strings, poke fun at the dollar crisis, the failed banking regulations, the pandemic, and more.
In their parody of “Angels We Have Heard On High,” instead of the hymn’s original words, the band sings “Wlooo Riad… حرقت سلاف البلد (You’ve ruined the country)” in reference to Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh.
Another song that criticizes the economic crisis is the parody of Shakin Stevens’ “Snow Is Falling” which turned into “Lira is falling.”
The medley is full of many many witty references to Lebanon’s crises, even the political issues like in their parody of “Jingle Bells.” Somehow, they managed to deliver a cheerful rendition of it with their own morbid-yet-true lyrics:
“Christmas this year is ruined, especially in Lebanon.
Santa wanted to come, but the reindeers didn’t let him.
Half of the nation is hungry, the other half is broke.
And the one who made them hungry and broke is satisfied at home.”
That was followed by, “We want to wish you a merry Christmas even though it looks like anything but Christmas.”
Finally, they tried to end the medley on a happier note with the parody “Feliz El-Balad” which translates to “the country has gone broke,” adding, “it’s okay it won’t stay like this forever.”
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