The lyrics are co-written by Rami El-Kaleh[1] who was born on 16 July 1983 in Waterford, Ireland,[2] but who had returned to Libya at a young age.
[3] The title and opening words of the song are quotes taken from a speech by Omar Mukhtar, a famous Libyan resistance fighter who fought against the Italians in the 1930s.
[1] The song is co-authored by El-Kaleh and Jasmine "Dadoo" Icanovic, a Bosnian Muslim who moved to Libya in 1992 after the breakup of Yugoslavia.
On 8 March 2011, Rami El-Kaleh was shot in a targeted killing by Muammar Gaddafi loyalists in Benghazi[5] and died instantly from a bullet that pierced his heart.
He had gone to pick up his brother from a friend's house in Benghazi and was to return to Dadoo's home, to re-record his guitar solo part.