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The Garden Of Allah Lyrics
It was pretty big year for fashion
a lousy year for rock and roll
The people gave their blessing to crimes of passion
It was a dark, dark night of the collective soul
and I was somewhere out on Riverside by the El Royale Hotel
When a stranger appeared in a cloud of smoke
I thought I knew him all too well
He said now that I have your attention
I got something I wanna say
You may not wanna hear it, I'm gonna tell it to you anyway
You know I've always like you boy
Cause you were not afraid of me
Things are gonna get mighty rough here in Gomorrah-by-the-Sea
Ya said it's just like home
It's so damn hot I can't stand it
My fine seersucker suit is all soaking wet
And the hills are burning
and the wind is raging
and the clock strikes midnight in the Garden of Allah
In the Garden of Allah
Nice car
Ah, I love those Bavarians
so meticulous
Y'know I remember when things were a lot more fun around here
When good was good and evil was evil
Before things got so fuzzy
I was once a golden boy like you
And I was summoned to the halls of power in the heavenly courts
And I dined with the deities who looked upon me with favor,
for my talents, my creativity
and we sat beneath the palms
in the warm afternoons and drank the wine
With Fitzgerald and Huxley
and they pawned the biting phrase from the tongues hot with blood
and drained their pins of bitter ink
Vainly reaching for the bottle full of empty Edens
Branded especially for the ones who had come with great expectations
to the perfumed halls of Allah, for their time in the sun
And we were stokin' the fires and oilin' up the machinery
Until the Gods found out we had ideas of our own
And war was coming and the Earth was shaking
and there was no more ruin in the Garden of Allah
Today I made an appearance downtown
I am an expert witness because I say I am
And I said gentlemen, and I use that world loosely
I will testify for you, I'm a gun for hire,I'm a saint, I'm a liar
Because there are no facts, there is no truth
Just data to be manipulated
I can get you any result you like
What's it worth to you?
Because there is no wrong, there is no right
And I sleep very well at night
No shame, no solution, no remorse, no retribution
Just people selling t-shirts
Just opportunity to participate in the pathetic little circus
and winning, winning, winning
It was pretty big year for predators
The marketplace was on a roll
and the land of opportunity
spawned a whole new breed of men without souls
This year notoriety got all confused with fame
and the devil is downhearted babe, cause
there's nothing left for him to claim
He said it's just like home
It's so low-down I can't stand it
I guess my work around here has all been done
And the fruit is rotten, the serpent's eyes shine
as he wraps around the vine,
in the Garden of Allah
in the Garden of Allah
in the Garden of Allah
a lousy year for rock and roll
The people gave their blessing to crimes of passion
It was a dark, dark night of the collective soul
and I was somewhere out on Riverside by the El Royale Hotel
When a stranger appeared in a cloud of smoke
I thought I knew him all too well
He said now that I have your attention
I got something I wanna say
You may not wanna hear it, I'm gonna tell it to you anyway
You know I've always like you boy
Cause you were not afraid of me
Things are gonna get mighty rough here in Gomorrah-by-the-Sea
It's so damn hot I can't stand it
My fine seersucker suit is all soaking wet
And the hills are burning
and the wind is raging
and the clock strikes midnight in the Garden of Allah
In the Garden of Allah
Ah, I love those Bavarians
so meticulous
Y'know I remember when things were a lot more fun around here
When good was good and evil was evil
Before things got so fuzzy
I was once a golden boy like you
And I was summoned to the halls of power in the heavenly courts
And I dined with the deities who looked upon me with favor,
for my talents, my creativity
and we sat beneath the palms
in the warm afternoons and drank the wine
With Fitzgerald and Huxley
and they pawned the biting phrase from the tongues hot with blood
and drained their pins of bitter ink
Vainly reaching for the bottle full of empty Edens
Branded especially for the ones who had come with great expectations
to the perfumed halls of Allah, for their time in the sun
Until the Gods found out we had ideas of our own
And war was coming and the Earth was shaking
and there was no more ruin in the Garden of Allah
I am an expert witness because I say I am
And I said gentlemen, and I use that world loosely
I will testify for you, I'm a gun for hire,I'm a saint, I'm a liar
Because there are no facts, there is no truth
Just data to be manipulated
I can get you any result you like
What's it worth to you?
Because there is no wrong, there is no right
And I sleep very well at night
No shame, no solution, no remorse, no retribution
Just people selling t-shirts
Just opportunity to participate in the pathetic little circus
and winning, winning, winning
The marketplace was on a roll
and the land of opportunity
spawned a whole new breed of men without souls
This year notoriety got all confused with fame
and the devil is downhearted babe, cause
there's nothing left for him to claim
It's so low-down I can't stand it
I guess my work around here has all been done
as he wraps around the vine,
in the Garden of Allah
in the Garden of Allah
in the Garden of Allah
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
Let's see. I never quite understood what this song was about. But just now reading the lyrics, I find that it's seemingly about the world today and how the devil has nothing left to claim because we are all such sinful and evil people.
In his interviews Henley talks about the setting comes from a Hotel referred to as "The Garden of Allah" where the Fitzgerald's and Huxley's of the 1920's frolicked in a Bohemian lifestyle.
The expert appearance lines I think are in reference to the media circus of the OJ Simpson trial.
He does a backhanded jab at a pop group of the time known as "Collective Soul," when he points out it was "a lousy year for rock and roll."
Collective Soul's self-titled album competed head-to-head with Don Henley's "Actual Miles" (on which this song appears. "Collective Soul" (the album) was triple-platinum, and spawned two huge hits, "The World I Know" and "Gel." Collective Soul continues to release albums, and has widespread airplay around the world.
Collective Soul's self-titled album competed head-to-head with Don Henley's "Actual Miles" (on which this song appears. "Collective Soul" (the album) was triple-platinum, and spawned two huge hits, "The World I Know" and "Gel." Collective Soul continues to release albums, and has widespread airplay around the world.
They're hardly some "pop group of the time." They're still around touring and making albums. When's the last time Don Henley did anything but try to squeeze the last few drops of milk out of the Eagles' udders?
They're hardly some "pop group of the time." They're still around touring and making albums. When's the last time Don Henley did anything but try to squeeze the last few drops of milk out of the Eagles' udders?
The video to this features one of the last appearences of Kirk Douglas as the devil.
I think it's: "no more room" and not "no more ruin".
Heavy lyrics! Are we so sinful and evil? Maybe our biggest sin is our ignorance - letting ourselves be misled by the Gods battling each other and gathering our souls as their armies. I sure wish Don Henley would say a couple of words about this song! If anyone sees him, please ask him to do so ;-)
Bitter bitter bitter. Henley's been a disillusioned cynic since (at least) the Hotel California days. And he lets it fly full force on this tune. He's holding nothing back in terms of his distaste for modern global culture.
Being a native Texan of his age, Henley undoubtedly heard more than his share of fire and brimstone in his younger years. And those apocalyptic references are showing more and more in his later work in not so subtle ways..."Building the Perfect Beast" being another example. And this tune is pretty much right in line with traditional Judeo/Christian philosophy in that the devil is the ruler of this world.
There's are lines in Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock" that say: "We are caught in the Devil's bargain" "And we've got to get ourselves back to the Garden" (Eden)
There was the innocence of the 60's with Woodstock. Then Henley wrote "The End of the Innocence". But at this point, the difference is that Henley doesn't see a way out. At least not culturally:
"the serpent's eyes shine as he wraps around the vine"
In other words...we're nearing the end of this experiment.
I'd like to see him do a Gospel album. Maybe find something positive to sing about. Somewhere.
This is one of Henley's deepest songs..
The devil is holding evil people accountable for their wrong doing on this earth. If you are not evil, you are not being talked to by henley's devil. the gomorah-by-the-sea comment can refer to any Corporation, institution where wrong doing is taking place. The "i am an expert witness...." and data manipulation, is classic Henley. I get him as if I hand written the song with him. I have dedicated this song to my Coroporation for Discrimination and retaliation. Henley is a philosoper that thinks exactly like me and sings and writes about the racisim that still exits in this country.
Liliana