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Found these lyrics on SpaceAgePop.com. As a folk song, Miserlou doubtless has
reams of
lyrics in a variety of languages. But here are some written by some presumably
western
songwriters.
Enjoy! But please, refrain from singing...
Misirlou
Lyrics by S.K. Russell, Norman Wise, and M. Leeds
There may have been lyrics to the Aegean folk tune from which this came, but I
doubt they
bore any resemblance to this Rudolph Valentino vignette, dripping with an
Oriental
mystique rivalling Korla Pandit's:
Desert shadows creep across purple sands
Natives kneel in prayer by their caravans
They're silhouetted under an eastern star
I see my long-lost blossom of Shalimar
You, Misirlou, are the moon and the sun
Fairest one.
Old temple bells are calling across the sands
We'll find our Kismet answering love's command.
You, Misirlou, are a dream of delight
In the night.
To an oasis sprinkled by stars above
Heaven will guide us
Allah will bless our love.
Caravan
Irving Mills (if he even was the author of these lyrics) appears to have
attempted to repeat
Russell/Wise/Leeds' musical version of "The Sheik," but while "Misirlou"'s
lyrics deserve an
occasional revival, those of "Caravan" could be used as a case study in bad
lyric writing.
The rhymes are so obvious can call them several measures ahead of the singer.
And then
there are indious little logical paradoxes: Are the lights bright or fading? Is
the singer's
love resting on his shoulder (which has got to make camel driving a real bitch)
or a
memory? And just what sick thing is going on, with the guy being excited and
thrilled,
while girl, her body undulating against him with each camel step, is sound
asleep? Does
she have any idea what she's inviting him to do?
Night
And star above that shine so bright
The mystery of their fading light
That shines upon our caravan.
Sleep
Upon my shoulder as we creep
Across the sands so I may keep
The memory of our caravan.
This is so exciting
You are so inviting
Resting in my arms
As I thrill to the magic charms
Of you
Beside me here beneath the blue
My dream of love is coming true
Within our desert caravan.
