Bassa and Sababa are Israeli slang terms both originating in Arabic, and they have opposite meanings.
âBassaâ is the bad feeling you get when something annoying or disappointing happened. Itâs very close in meaning to the word âbummerâ in English slang.
âSababaâ means âgreat!â, and is also used to describe feeling great or happy, feeling âsababaâ.
Both words usually describe a casual, light feeling, but can also imply a stronger feeling, depending on context.
There is a Hebrew saying âLakahat et ha-bassa be-sababaâ, which literally translates as â to take the bad stuff (the bassa) positively (with sababa). To stay positive even when bad things happen.
Netta seeks to send a message to everyone who suffers from bullying or other bad stuff â to ignore the bad stuff, pick themselves up and just carry on. Feeling âbassaâ? Try to go âsababaâ. Sababa is the answer.
A normal day scene:
Yossi: I learned so much for this test and yet I failed it :(
Netta: Oh! bassa
scence day #2:
Yossi: Netta u won the Eurovision! How do you feel about it?
Netta: sababa
Yossi: How do you feel about the crushing loss of the Cypriot singer in front of you?
Netta: bassa sababa
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âBis miâ is a hebrish (hebrew-english) phrase that means âgive me a biteâ. So â give me a bite of the wasabi.
Could be a hint to her previous hit âToyâ that was japan-themed.
Yossi: bis mi wasabi on my sushi
Sushi maker: sababa. Iâll give ya!