I’ve always liked this song because I like the way “tea in the Sahara” sounds—not that I’m itching to have sand in my tea—it’s just presents a lovely visual image that has little to do with sand and sweat. The song was apparently inspired by the book The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles—he quoted a tale about three sisters who hoped to have tea in the Sahara with a handsome prince they had met. The song is about broken dreams.
"Three girls from the mountains—Outka, Mimouna and Aicha go to seek their fortune and more than anything else they want to drink tea in the Sahara. One day a handsome Targui comes who tells the sisters all about the Sahara, where he lives. They dance for him, he makes love to them and he gives them each a silver coin that they save in hopes of traveling to the desert.
One day they say, “We are going to finish like this—always sad, without ever having tea in the Sahara - so now we must go anyway, even without money.” And they pool their funds to buy a teapot, a tray, three glasses and bus tickets. The sisters end up in the desert climbing the highest dune in hopes of finding the handsome Targui.
Many days later another caravan was passing and a man saw something on top of the highest dune there. And when they went up to see, they found Outka, Mimouna and Aicha; lying the same way as when they had gone to sleep. “And all three of the glasses," he held up his own little tea glass, "were full of sand. That was how they had their tea in the Sahara."
I’ve always liked this song because I like the way “tea in the Sahara” sounds—not that I’m itching to have sand in my tea—it’s just presents a lovely visual image that has little to do with sand and sweat. The song was apparently inspired by the book The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles—he quoted a tale about three sisters who hoped to have tea in the Sahara with a handsome prince they had met. The song is about broken dreams.
"Three girls from the mountains—Outka, Mimouna and Aicha go to seek their fortune and more than anything else they want to drink tea in the Sahara. One day a handsome Targui comes who tells the sisters all about the Sahara, where he lives. They dance for him, he makes love to them and he gives them each a silver coin that they save in hopes of traveling to the desert.
One day they say, “We are going to finish like this—always sad, without ever having tea in the Sahara - so now we must go anyway, even without money.” And they pool their funds to buy a teapot, a tray, three glasses and bus tickets. The sisters end up in the desert climbing the highest dune in hopes of finding the handsome Targui.
Many days later another caravan was passing and a man saw something on top of the highest dune there. And when they went up to see, they found Outka, Mimouna and Aicha; lying the same way as when they had gone to sleep. “And all three of the glasses," he held up his own little tea glass, "were full of sand. That was how they had their tea in the Sahara."