The song was rearranged as a solo instrumental guitar piece by Dick Dale in 1962. Dale's father and uncles were Lebanese-American musicians who were a part of the aforementioned ethnic nightclub scene. Although they were Arab, they, like other performers, played the music of all the main cultures which made up the nightclub patrons—that included Greek music and Misirlou. During a performance, Dale was bet by a young fan that he could not play a song on only one string of his guitar. Later that night, he remembered seeing his uncle play "Misirlou" on one string (actually a double string) of the oud. He tried to imitate that style on his guitar, but vastly increased the song's tempo to make it into rock'n'roll, and the result was the famous Dick Dale Misirlou. It was Dale's version that introduced "Misirlou" to a wider audience in the United States as "Miserlou."
Misirlou
Dick Dale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Natives kneel in prayer by their caravans.
There, silhouetted under and eastern star,
I see my long lost blossom of shalimar
You, Misirlou, Are the moon and the sun, fairest one.
We'll find our Kismet, answering love's command.
You, Misirlou, are a dream of delight in the night.
To an oasis, sprinkled by stars above,
Heaven will guide us, Allah will bless our love.
The lyrics of Dick Dale's "Misirlou" describes a love story that takes place in the desert, under the starry sky. The first lines of the song give us a visual of the desert, where the story unfolds. We can picture the desert slowly being taken over by the darkness of the night, the purple sands becoming shadowed. The image of the natives kneeling in prayer next to their caravans also adds to the desert vibe, with this line possibly suggesting that the two lovers are not alone.
However, the song shifts to a more romantic tone with the second half of the first stanza. It becomes clear that the singer is longing for a love he has lost, and he sees her in his mind's eye under the eastern star. The imagery becomes more vivid in the following stanza with the sounds of old temple bells calling across the sand. The mention of Kismet, meaning fate or destiny, suggests that the singer believes the love he has lost will come back to him.
Line by Line Meaning
Desert shadows creep across purple sands.
The sun is setting in the desert and casting shadows on the purple sand.
Natives kneel in prayer by their caravans.
The native people are praying near their caravans as the sun sets.
There, silhouetted under an eastern star, I see my long lost blossom of shalimar.
In the distance, I see my lost love illuminated by an eastern star.
You, Misirlou, Are the moon and the sun, fairest one.
My love, Misirlou, is the light of my life, my everything.
Old temple bells are calling across the sand.
Bells from an old temple are ringing across the desert.
We'll find our Kismet, answering love's command.
We will find our destiny, guided by the power of love.
You, Misirlou, are a dream of delight in the night.
Misirlou, you are the perfect dream, a vision of delight in the dark of night.
To an oasis, sprinkled by stars above, Heaven will guide us, Allah will bless our love.
Our love will be blessed by Allah as we are guided to an oasis beneath the stars.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Fred Wise, Jose Pina, Milton Leeds, Nicholas Roubanis, Sidney Russell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind