Don Henley — The Garden Of Allah
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Length: 6:57
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It was a 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 for the collective soul
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 somethin' I wanna say
You may not wanna hear it
I'm gonna tell it to ya anyway
You know, I've always liked you, boy
'Cause you were not afraid of me
But things are gonna get mighty rough
Here in Gomorrah-By-The-Sea"
He said: "It's just like home
It's so damned hot, I can't stand it
My fine seersucker suit is all soakin' wet"
And the hills are burning
The wind is raging
And the clock strikes midnight
In the Garden of Allah
"Nice car.........
I love those Bavarians.....so meticulous
Y'know, I remember a time when things were a lot more fun around here
When good was good, and evil was evil
Before things got so.......fuzzy
Yeah, I was once a golden boy like you
I was summoned to the halls of power in the heavenly court
And I dined with the deities who looked upon me with favor
For my talents; my creativity
We sat beneath the palms in the warm afternoon
And drank the wine with Fitzgerald and Huxley
They pawned a biting phrase
From tongues hot with blood
And drained their pens of bitter ink
Vainly reaching for the bottle of empty Edens
Branded specially for the ones
Who had come with great expectations
To the perfumed halls of Allah
For their time in the sun"
We were stokin' the fires
and oilin' up the machinery
Until the gods found out we had ideas of our own
And the war was coming
And the earth was shaking
And there was no more room
In the Garden of Allah
"Today I made and appearance downtown
I am an expert witness, because I say I am
And I said, 'Gentleman....and I use that word 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 ya?
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 this pathetic little circus
And winning, winning, winning"
It was a 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
Because 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
A lousy year for rock and roll
The people gave their blessing to crimes of passion
It was a dark, dark night for the collective soul
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 somethin' I wanna say
You may not wanna hear it
I'm gonna tell it to ya anyway
You know, I've always liked you, boy
'Cause you were not afraid of me
But things are gonna get mighty rough
Here in Gomorrah-By-The-Sea"
He said: "It's just like home
It's so damned hot, I can't stand it
My fine seersucker suit is all soakin' wet"
And the hills are burning
The wind is raging
And the clock strikes midnight
In the Garden of Allah
"Nice car.........
I love those Bavarians.....so meticulous
Y'know, I remember a time when things were a lot more fun around here
When good was good, and evil was evil
Before things got so.......fuzzy
Yeah, I was once a golden boy like you
I was summoned to the halls of power in the heavenly court
And I dined with the deities who looked upon me with favor
For my talents; my creativity
We sat beneath the palms in the warm afternoon
And drank the wine with Fitzgerald and Huxley
They pawned a biting phrase
From tongues hot with blood
And drained their pens of bitter ink
Vainly reaching for the bottle of empty Edens
Branded specially for the ones
Who had come with great expectations
To the perfumed halls of Allah
For their time in the sun"
We were stokin' the fires
and oilin' up the machinery
Until the gods found out we had ideas of our own
And the war was coming
And the earth was shaking
And there was no more room
In the Garden of Allah
"Today I made and appearance downtown
I am an expert witness, because I say I am
And I said, 'Gentleman....and I use that word 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 ya?
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 this pathetic little circus
And winning, winning, winning"
It was a 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
Because 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
Comments (19)add comment
Excellent comment! ...though the song might not be the greatest.
I guess I'm commenting more on the comment than the song.
Originally Posted by Myrrh:
And you listen to "rock"? Rock is about angst, just as was blues before it. Easy Listening is maybe what you're looking for.
We don't have many people voicing dissent anymore, and those that do musically are usually derided for doing so. I never understand this. Henley, Sinead O'Connor, Tom Petty, anybody who opens their mouth usually gets told to shut up. But then again, now that US culture is largely corporate, I suppose everybody should just sit down, shut up, and continue to CONSUME. Don't complain, let this week's war continue, and for heaven's sake, no angst!
ugh.... hard to sit thru this
maybe he is a Dietrich fan
Dig the Zappaesque voiceover.
some parts of the chord progression and melody really sound like \"life in the fast lane\".
I don\'t mind political commentary, I just don\'t like it shoved down my throat. That\'s how I feel when I listen to some of Henley\'s songs. It seems as if you don\'t believe the way he does, then you don\'t matter.
I would really prefer less angst, thank you very much.
Agreed! 
Originally Posted by arianarw:
He just keeps getting better. One of my favorites is "They're not here, they're not coming" but this comes close.
He just keeps getting better. One of my favorites is \"They\'re not here, they\'re not coming\" but this comes close.
Led Zeppelin meets The Eagles, or something? Powerful, but that\'s not always saying a lot.
Originally Posted by zaakster:
I don't care for the social commentary on the state of the Californian collective unconscious, however apt it may be. My overall sense is that Henley is part of the reason the Arabs hate us so much. An affront, indeed. 
No no.. you've confused Don Henley with Brittany Spears.. I'm sure you could see the difference...
:D
I LIKE this song... it caught me off gaurd the first time I heard it, because I came in on the section where he was speaking "devilishly" ... and then heard his voice... pretty distinct actually.. and knew it was him.
As for the Arab comment ... if you meant as a joke.. try winking or adding a smile / toothy grin... if you seriously think that's that case as to why we have been attacked by terrorists... keep in mind.. most of what we've seen so far, the terrorists don't believe in the ideals of "america" .. ie free will, common law, respect, etc.. look at the symbols of freedom from oppression from the onset of this war.. Men cutting their hair & beards the way they want them, their freedom to worship in a way they decide is right for them.. etc etc etc... freedom is as freedom does... if Don Henley was really the cause of the upset, with lyrics such as in his song... then you should be joining the terrorists, not staying here.
I think the lyrics should actually be trying to enlighten people that there ARE others out there that think like this.. and hope that THEY would hear it and have their own rapture and then start to change..
::soap box stepdown::
-T
Once again Don Henley is trying too hard .... If he wants to be \"creative,\" why doesn\'t he stop using that same guitar riff over and over again?
This is Don Henley? Would never have guessed...