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Before the Eyes of Storytelling Girls Lyrics
i could tell you stories like the government tells lies
ah, but no one listens anymore
in the rooms, the women come and go
talking on the mobile phones
and the television talks about the war
when i was a baby, there was laughter in my house
my daddy smoked domestic cigarettes
and thursday nights on the radio
live in concert- live from cairo:
mother of egypt!
mama, mama, be with me
with the music in your breast
in your glittering evening dress
and the white flag in your fist trembling
i could tell you stories like the past was dead and gone
but i know nothing changes in this world
every day the muezzin calls
the sun comes up and baghdad falls
before the eyes of storytelling girls
she was just a poor man’s daughter
going down into the sultan’s bed
he was desert, she was water
and he remembered every word she said, that she said,
and i say, grandma, grandma, be with me
in your tragic wedding gown
with your long hair hanging down
and the stories tumbling out, tumbling
i could tell you stories like the government tells lies
ah, but no one listens anymore
in the rooms the women come and go
talking on the mobile phones
and the television talks about the war, about the war
the television talks about the war
ah, but no one listens anymore
in the rooms, the women come and go
talking on the mobile phones
and the television talks about the war
when i was a baby, there was laughter in my house
my daddy smoked domestic cigarettes
and thursday nights on the radio
live in concert- live from cairo:
mother of egypt!
with the music in your breast
in your glittering evening dress
and the white flag in your fist trembling
but i know nothing changes in this world
every day the muezzin calls
the sun comes up and baghdad falls
before the eyes of storytelling girls
she was just a poor man’s daughter
going down into the sultan’s bed
he was desert, she was water
and he remembered every word she said, that she said,
in your tragic wedding gown
with your long hair hanging down
and the stories tumbling out, tumbling
ah, but no one listens anymore
in the rooms the women come and go
talking on the mobile phones
and the television talks about the war, about the war
the television talks about the war
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I can't believe no one's commented on this song yet. Anais is known for incorporating literature and journalism, but she outdoes herself on this one. With a line like "i could tell you stories like the government tell lies", how could you go wrong? I read that the song is about a middle-aged Egyptian woman. She calls on her "mother" Om Kalthoum, an immensely popular Egyptian singer, who used to give performances on the radio on Thursday nights. She also calls on her "grandmother', Scheherazade, the woman who married the sultan and spun the tales for one thousand and one nights. And finally, "in the rooms the women come and go talking on the mobile phones" is a nearly direct quote from T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock".
Absolutely! This is definitely one of her best songs, in my opinion.
Absolutely! This is definitely one of her best songs, in my opinion.
I had caught the references to Oum Kalthoum and Scheherazade, but had no idea about the T.S. Eliot paraphrase. That's interesting, I'll have to read that poem. Thanks for explaining that!
I had caught the references to Oum Kalthoum and Scheherazade, but had no idea about the T.S. Eliot paraphrase. That's interesting, I'll have to read that poem. Thanks for explaining that!
@Hasana I was aware of Umm Kulthum because of the song Omar Sharif from the Band's Visit and in fact thought of her when I heard the lyrics but didn't know that it was a direct reference. Thank you for the info. What a beautiful song and haunting melody.
@Hasana I was aware of Umm Kulthum because of the song Omar Sharif from the Band's Visit and in fact thought of her when I heard the lyrics but didn't know that it was a direct reference. Thank you for the info. What a beautiful song and haunting melody.