The Sheik of Araby
Ken Lyrics


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"I'm the Sheik of Araby,
Your love belongs to me.
At night when you're asleep
Into your tent I'll creep.
The stars that shine above,
Will light our way to love.
You'll rule this land with me;




Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Ken 'snakehips' Johnson's song The Sheik Of Araby are about a man proclaiming himself as the Sheik of Araby and claiming the love of a woman. He sings about creeping into her tent at night while she is asleep and taking her as his own. The stars above are seen as a symbol of their love and they will rule the land together. The lyrics portray the Sheik as a dominant and possessive character, who believes that the woman's love belongs to him and he can do anything to possess it.


The song was originally written in 1921 by Harry B. Smith and Francis Wheeler, with music by Ted Snyder. It was an instant success and became a popular jazz standard. Numerous interpretations have been made over the years by different jazz musicians, and it has been featured in many films and TV shows.


Line by Line Meaning

I'm the Sheik of Araby
I hold the highest position of power in Araby


Your love belongs to me.
You are in love with me and belong to me


At night when you're asleep
During the night while you are unconscious


Into your tent I'll creep.
I will secretly enter your tent without being detected


The stars that shine above,
The celestial bodies in the sky that emit light


Will light our way to love.
Those stars will guide us towards our love for each other


You'll rule this land with me;
You will become my partner in power and control over this land




Lyrics © HARRY B. SMITH COPYRIGHTS, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ted Snyder, Harry B. Smith, Francis Wheeler

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Brian Hewkin

A huge thank you to Brian Sturt for giving us all the Colyer music

Barry Carlson

The real authentic music of New Orleans these guys were the real deal still enjoying them 50 years on

Teddyb1939

Fantastic line up.Ken Colyer Jazzmen driving along, magical.

Brian Sturt

Thanks for your comment

Roman Adar

While maybe not as refined as the later Chris Barber jazz band these folks play the best traditional jazz.
Of course an excellent music and video as well, love both of them.
Thanks for sharing.

Brian Sturt

+Roman Adar Thanks again Roman glad you enjoyed this one also

Barry Lowe

Thanks Brian, I enjoyed the recording and video. I have this on one of Kens Classic Years albums. I don't know whether you think the same, but I always remember the George Lewis version having the same primitive recording quality. I wonder if that was deliberate!

Brian Sturt

Hi Barry, gladyou enjoyed both aspects of this song - I always remember this as Mac Duncan's feature vocal and I felt 'Bluto' captures his wild and primitive singing to a tee

John Llewlyn Davies

Perfect match of picture and music🎶👍

John Brignal

Typical of Ken's driving and forceful rendering of popular tunes with his unique style. Cheers.

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