ARABIAN NIGHTS

Version 3

Shrieks of Sheikhs as they come across the movie screen
A thousand sand-dune soldiers led by an Arabian Queen
And the Harem girls move like Clancy's dancers
Through my dirty dreams
I wake up on the floor clutching the bed lamp
Mama comes in, she screams
"Hey you been out with that tramp again last night
That silver-sequined Arab black bitch
You know the one Mama don't like?"
But Mama she sings me moontime melodies
With this great Top 40 hook
Mama just stares and Papa don't care but he says "Look Mama, the girl's alright
The girl's alright"
He turns and says "Tell me son whats the word"
Cause you know he can't hear
Papa the word's out on the curb
But don't go near it
It's criticised as too absurd
Even the animals fear it
Papa says "Fetch me my flashlight son"
And stumbles out the front door

So come out from behind your bunkers
'Cos the lift-offs been a bust
Papa's gone and Mama's dead
And buried in my rocket dust
Whoa you're alone now for the first time
Don't worry cause that's all right
Because all fear will completely disappear
Come the Arabian Night
Mmmmm

Now soundman smiles and turns the dials
To set the meter readin' rising
He pulls the singer's voice from out of his pocket
To see if the audience likes it
And in the very first row sits sweet Jenny Row
With a bell on her shoe and she wants him to make it
He flicks a switch but Jenny moves too fast
And the audience sways to the sound of her shotgun blast
The manager comes running out from behind stage and says
"Check the band's arms for bullet holes
Make that man roll up his sleeves"
The drummer shoots himself with cyanide
And then asks to be relieved
And me, I just say, "It's too crazy in here
Which is the stage door out, I gotta get up tomorrow morning for work"
The promoter says "Man, once you're in they all lead out
Whats the matter man, ain't you heard?
There's a war going on on the outside
And I'm paying you to sing like a bird
So get in and get tough or get up and get out
Because things are'nt too tight"
I told him "Don't worry man, everything's gonna loosen up
Come the Arabian Night
Oh yeah, come the Arabian Night"

Well I got back in bed
But outside my window I heard another gang fight
It's Duke and the boys against the Devil's best men
And both sides have drawn their knives
Now Duke he's a well-known knife-fighter
And with one quick jab he brings the Devil down
He smiles 'cos he knows there's a good bounty on Devil's
In any God-fearin' town
So Duke sold the Devil to some priest in Pennsylvania
To exhibit on his altar Christmas Night
But the Devil's eyes they're still burn red with fire
As long as Duke walks upright
And he swears there's going to be a showdown
Come sundown on the Arabian Night
Whoa on the Arabian, arabian night

Recorded between Jun and Jul 1972 at Media And 914 Sound Studios, Blauvelt, NY. Check also version 1 and version 2.