The Garden Of Allah
Don Henley Lyrics

It was a pretty big year for fashion
Fashion boomed but politics and music failed

A lousy year for rock and roll
Rock and Roll music failed

The people gave their blessings to crimes of passion
The society approved of crimes of passion

It was a dark, dark night of the collective soul
A time of great moral crisis and deep despair for everyone collectively

Now was somewhere out on riverside
A particular incident took place by the riverside

By the El Royale Hotel
The incident occurred near El Royale Hotel

When a stranger appeared in a cloud of smoke
Suddenly, an unknown person showed up in a mysterious way

I thought I knew him all too well
The person seemed to be familiar to me

He said now that I have your attention
The stranger claimed to have my attention

I got somethin' I want to say
The stranger had something important to convey

You may not want to hear it
The stranger warned that I might not like what he had to say

I'm gonna tell it to you anyway
Regardless, the stranger was going to say it

You know, I've always liked you, boy
The stranger mentioned liking me

Cause you were not afraid of me
The reason for liking me was because I didn't fear him

But things are gonna get mighty rough
The stranger warned me that things were going to get tough

Here in Gomorrah-By-The-Sea
The reference to Gomorrah implied that it was a wicked place similar to Sodom and Gomorrah of biblical times

He said it's just like home
The stranger felt that the current place was similar to where he came from

It's so damned hot, I can't stand it
The heat was unbearable

My fine seersucker suit is all soakin' wet
The stranger's clothes were drenched in sweat

And the hills are burning
The hills were on fire

The wind is raging
The wind was blowing fiercely

And the clock strikes midnight
The midnight hour had arrived

In the Garden of Allah
The reference to the Garden of Allah was symbolic of supernatural intervention

Nice car
A reference to someone's car

I love those Bavarians, so meticulous
The singer admired the Bavarians for their attention to detail

You know, I remember a time when things were a lot more
A recollection of a time in the past when things were different

Fun around here
The past was more enjoyable

When good was good, and evil was evil
A time when good and evil were clearly defined

Before things got so, fuzzy
Before people's moral values became increasingly unclear

Yeah, I was once a golden boy like you
The singer was once like the listener

And I was summoned to the halls of power in the heavenly court
The singer had powerful connections

And I dined with the deities who looked upon me with favor
The artist was liked by powerful people

For my talents my creativity
The artist was liked for his creative ability

And we sat beneath the palms in the warm afternoons
The artist had pleasant memories of the past

And drank the wine with Fitzgerald and Huxley
The singer dined with famous authors

And they pawned a biting phrase
The authors used sharp words

From tongues hot with blood
The authors spoke with intense emotion

And drained their pens of bitter ink
The authors wrote about unpleasant topics

Vainly reaching for the bottle full of empty Edens
The authors sought happiness but found none

Branded special for the ones
The authors, being famous, were special people

Who had come with great expectations
The authors had high hopes

To the perfumed halls of Allah
The reference to the perfumed halls of Allah was symbolic of the authors' situation

For their time in the sun
They wanted their share of success

We were stokin' the fires
The group was working hard

And oilin' up the machinery
The group was making preparations

Until the gods found out we had ideas of our own
Eventually, the powerful people realized that the group was not fully loyal to them

And the war was coming
A war was approaching

The earth was shaking
The earth was trembling due to the impending war

And there was no more room
The situation was getting tight

In the Garden of Allah
The reference to the Garden of Allah implied that danger was approaching

Today I made an appearance downtown
The singer made an appearance in the city

I am an expert witness, because I say I am
The artist claimed to have expertise on a topic

And I said, gentleman, and I use that word loosely
The artist addressed a specific group of people but made it clear that they were not necessarily gentlemen

I will testify for you
The singer offered to testify on someone's behalf

I'm a gun for hire, I'm a saint, I'm a liar
The singer had flexible morals and could adapt to any situation

Because there are no facts, there is no truth
The artist felt that the concept of truth was subjective

Just a data to be manipulated
Data could be fabricated and manipulated for one's benefit

I can get any result you like
The artist could manipulate the results for a favorable outcome

What's it worth to ya?
The singer was willing to do it for a price

Because there is no wrong, there is no right
The artist believed that the concept of right and wrong was relative

And I sleep very well at night
The singer had no problem sleeping despite questionable actions

No shame, no solution
There was no resolution to the problem and no shame associated with it

No remorse, no retribution
There was no sense of remorse and no punishment

Just people selling T-shirts
The situation was reduced to capitalism and merchandising

Just opportunity to participate in the pathetic little circus
The whole scenario was like a meaningless circus that people could participate in

And winning, winning, winning
Everything had become about winning

It was a pretty big year for predators
Those who preyed on others had a good year

The marketplace was on a roll
The market was doing well

And the land of opportunity
America was known as the land of opportunity

Spawned a whole new breed of men without souls
The country produced a new type of soulless people

This year, notoriety got all confused with fame
Controversy and notoriety was often confused with fame

And the devil is downhearted, baby
The devil is disappointed that he has nothing to claim in this scenario

'Cause there's nothing left for him to claim
There's nothing for the devil to gain from the situation

It's so low-down, I can't stand it
The situation was upsetting

I guess my work around here has all been done
The stranger's work was complete

And the fruit is rotten
The fruits of labor have gone bad

The serpent's eyes shine
The situation was dark and dangerous

As he wraps around the vine
Evil is wrapping around and entangling everything

In the Garden of Allah
The reference to the Garden of Allah implied that the situation was dangerous and supernatural in nature

(In the Garden of Allah)
Indicates a refrain and amplifies the importance of the previous line