While most of the instruments are in 4/4 time, Robert Fripp's electric guitar plays in 7/8 time during part of the song, creating an unusual effect. In the middle of the song, voice recordings are heard. Adrian Belew talks about his experience with members of London street gangs and the police, trying to get voice recordings for the song (Adrian Belew's blog entry about this event).
During their tour for the Discipline and Beat albums, Belew would tell the story while the song was being performed. During the Beat tour at least, the story-telling was somewhat improvised. In later live performances - as evidenced by the performance on Absent Lovers: Live in Montreal - the storytelling is dropped, leaving only the sung lyrics.
However, for reasons unknown, the storytelling re-appeared on the Double Trio tours (cf. VROOOM VROOOM) but it was in the form of a backing tape identical to the album version.
* Robert Fripp - guitar
* Adrian Belew - guitar, vocals
* Tony Levin - bass guitar, Chapman stick, vocals
* Bill Bruford - drums
Thela Hun Ginjeet
King Crimson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thela Hun Ginjeet, Thela Hun Ginjeet
Thela Hun Ginjeet, Thela Hun Ginjeet
Thela Hun Ginjeet, Thela Hun Ginjeet
Qua tari mei, Thela Hun Ginjeet
Qua tari mei, heat in the jungle streets
Well, first of all
I couldn't see his face
He was holding a gun in his hand
Umm, I was thinking
This is a dangerous place
This is a dangerous place
Thela Hun Ginjeet, Thela Hun Ginjeet
Thela Hun Ginjeet, Thela Hun Ginjeet
Thela Hun Ginjeet, Thela Hun Ginjeet
Thela Hun Ginjeet, Thela Hun Ginjeet
Qua tari mei, Thela Hun Ginjeet
Qua tari mei, heat in the jungle streets
I said, "I'm nervous as hell from this stuff"
Those guys were going to kill me for sure
They ganged up on me like that
I couldn't believe it
I mean look, I'm still shakin'
Weird
They're out in the streets like that
It's a dangerous place
It's a dangerous place
So, suddenly, these two guys appear in front of me
They stopped
Real aggressive
Start at me, you know
"What's that?" "What's that on that tape?"
"What do you got there?"
I said, "huh?"
They said, "What are you talking into that for?"
I said, "It's just a tape, you know"
"Well play it for me"
I said "oh, no"
I put it off as long as I could
And finally they turned it on, you know
They grabbed it from me
Took it away from me
Turned it on
And it said, "He held a gun in his hand. This is a dangerous place."
They said, "What dangerous place?" "What gun?" "You're a policeman!"
And the deeper I talked, the worse I got into it
I talked, I told him, I said, "Look man, I'm not talkin'"
It went on forever
Anyway, I finally unbuttoned my shirt, and said,
"Look, look, I'm in this band, you know, I'm in this band you know,
And we're makin' a recording, you know
It's just about New York City, it's about crime in the streets"
The explanation was going nowhere, but
Finally, they just kinda let me go, I don't know why
So I walk around the corner
And I'm like shakin' like a leaf
And I thought, "This is a dangerous place"
Who should appear, but two policeman
Thela Hun Ginjeet, Thela Hun Ginjeet
Thela Hun Ginjeet, Thela Hun Ginjeet
The lyrics of King Crimson's song Thela Hun Ginjeet describe a tense situation in the streets of New York City. The opening lines are repetitive, almost like a chant, which could be interpreted as a reflection of the monotonous and dangerous nature of the city. The phrase "Thela Hun Ginjeet" is believed to be inspired by the Hindi phrase "Tehelka Hoon Gajni", which translates to "I am chaos, I am the storm".
The first person narrative describes the singer's encounter with a group of aggressive men, who are holding a gun in their hand. The singer is nervous and afraid, fully aware of the danger that he is in. The lyrics describe the confusion and chaos of the situation in vivid detail. The singer explains that he is just a musician, trying to make a recording about the crime in the streets, but the men do not believe him. In the end, the singer manages to escape, only to encounter two police officers.
The story narrated in the lyrics is open to interpretation, but it could be seen as a commentary on the dangerous and violent nature of urban spaces, where the line between criminals and law enforcement officers can sometimes blur.
Line by Line Meaning
Thela Hun Ginjeet, Thela Hun Ginjeet
Repeating phrase, no intended meaning
Thela Hun Ginjeet, Thela Hun Ginjeet
Repeating phrase, no intended meaning
Thela Hun Ginjeet, Thela Hun Ginjeet
Repeating phrase, no intended meaning
Thela Hun Ginjeet, Thela Hun Ginjeet
Repeating phrase, no intended meaning
Qua tari mei, Thela Hun Ginjeet
Narrator is apprehensive while in a dangerous city neighborhood
Qua tari mei, heat in the jungle streets
Narrator is feeling as if in a literal jungle, fearing for their safety in a crime-ridden area
I said, "I'm nervous as hell from this stuff"
Narrator speaks of their emotional state when confronted by a gunman
Those guys were going to kill me for sure
Narrator is certain of their assailants' intentions
They ganged up on me like that
Narrator is surprised by the suddenness of their attackers
I couldn't believe it
Narrator is in disbelief over their situation
I mean look, I'm still shakin'
Narrator is still frightened after the event
Weird
Narrator uses single-word exclamation to describe their thoughts on the situation
They're out in the streets like that
Narrator is commenting on the prevalence of danger in the area
It's a dangerous place
Narrator emphasizes once more the inherent danger of their current location
So, suddenly, these two guys appear in front of me
Narrator introduces the appearance of two more individuals
They stopped
Narrator notes their attackers' behavior
Real aggressive
Narrator details the demeanor of the newcomers
Start at me, you know
Narrator implies that the two newcomers had begun to verbally harass them
"What's that?" "What's that on that tape?"
Dialog between narrator and new individuals begins, relating to an audio recording
"What do you got there?"
Newcomers demand to know what is on the artist's tape
I said, "huh?"
Narrator does not understand why they are being questioned
They said, "What are you talking into that for?"
Newcomers continue their interrogation of the artist
I said, "It's just a tape, you know"
Narrator attempts to defuse the situation by downplaying the recording's significance
"Well play it for me"
Newcomers demand to hear the recording
I said "oh, no"
Narrator is hesitant to play the recording
I put it off as long as I could
Narrator stalls the newcomers from listening to the recording as long as possible
And finally they turned it on, you know
Narrator reluctantly allows the newcomers to listen to the recording
They grabbed it from me
Newcomers take control of the recording
Took it away from me
Newcomers retain possession of the recording
Turned it on
Newcomers play the recording
And it said, "He held a gun in his hand. This is a dangerous place."
Recording plays back a line that implicates the singer in the current presence of a gun in a dangerous neighborhood
They said, "What dangerous place?" "What gun?" "You're a policeman!"
Newcomers confront narrator about their apparent affiliation with police officers and the presence of a gun
And the deeper I talked, the worse I got into it
Narrator's attempts to explain themselves only further implicate them
I talked, I told him, I said, "Look man, I'm not talkin'"
Narrator appears to be contradicting themselves by speaking after having said they wouldn't
It went on forever
Narrator implies that the confrontation lasted for an extended period of time
Anyway, I finally unbuttoned my shirt, and said,
Narrator attempts another approach to explain their situation
"Look, look, I'm in this band, you know, I'm in this band you know,
And we're makin' a recording, you know
It's just about New York City, it's about crime in the streets"
Narrator provides context for the audio recording and their own intentions
The explanation was going nowhere, but
Narrator is aware that their explanation is not persuasive
Finally, they just kinda let me go, I don't know why
Narrator is confused as to why they were released by the newcomers
So I walk around the corner
Narrator begins to leave the scene of their confrontation
And I'm like shakin' like a leaf
Narrator is still physically affected by the confrontation
And I thought, "This is a dangerous place"
Narrator reflects on the danger in the neighborhood as they leave
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Adrian Belew, Anthony Charles Levin, Robert Fripp, William Scott Bruford
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
muras
It was only recently, after lots of head-scratching to what it meant, I learned that 'Thela Hun Ginjeet' is actually an anagram 'Heat in the jungle'.
kastelnaudary
What about "Qua tari mei" then ? Is it an anagram aswell ? (I'm lame at anagrams...)
Giorgio Ciomei
Wow, compliments!
Marijan
@kastelnaudary Nope! "Qua tari mei" is just pure bollocks!
Vanessa Walsh
It can be a real phrase, if you assign a meaning to it. Humans can use a variety of different guttural sounds to refer to the same object, like a tree or a river.
c v
ÖRF is ängerüßz bläyce ^^
Leslie Hayden
I find Bill Brufords drumming in particular unbelievably good on this track. If I remember correctly the personnel listing on the cover had the normal instruments to each member, but after Bill's name it said not drums but "Batterie". Perfectly illustrated on this piece the word I think describes the sound.
Enrico Cavallo
For what it's worth, batterie is French for drum kit.
Leslie Hayden
@Enrico Cavallo excellent Enrico thanks for the info I did not know that Cheers. Our English interpretation of the French word as we use it to describe beating something repeatedly, or even firing an array of cannons, fits in with my concept of a description of Bill's drumming on this track.
Many thanks. .
Enrico Cavallo
@Leslie Hayden , maybe that's what is meant anyway :-)