2. A 3-piece emo/screamo band from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Influences include I Hate Myself and On the Might of Princes - http://malibustacy902.bandcamp.com/
Walk Like An Egyptian
Malibu Stacy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They do the sand dance don't you know
If they move too quick
Oh eh oh
They're falling down like a domino
All the bazaar men by the Nile
They got the money on a bet
Oh eh oh
They snap their teeth on your cigarette
Foreign types with the hookah pipes say
Hey oh eh oh, hey oh oh eh oh
Walk like an Egyptian
the Blonde waitresses take their trays
They spin around and they cross the floor
They've got the moves
Oh eh oh
You drop your drink then they bring you more
All the school kids so sick of books
They like the punk and the metal band
When the buzzer rings
Oh eh oh
They're walking like an Egyptian
All the kids in the marketplace say
Hey oh eh oh, hey oh oh eh oh
Walk like an Egyptian
Slide your feet up the street bend your back
Shift your arm then you pull it back
Life is hard you know
Oh eh oh
So strike a pose on a Cadillac
If you want to find all the cops
They're hanging out in the donut shop
They sing and dance
Oh eh oh
Spin the clubs cruise down the block
All the Japanese with their yen
The party boys call the Kremlin
And the Chinese know
Oh eh oh
They walk the line like Egyptian
All the cops in the donut shop say
Hey oh eh oh, hey oh oh eh oh
Walk like an Egyptian
Walk like an Egyptian
(Walk like an Egyptian
Walk like an Egyptian)
The song "Walk Like an Egyptian" by The Bangles is a playful and catchy tune with lyrics that describe the different movements and behaviors of people from different cultures. The first verse describes old paintings on tombs and the "sand dance" that they depict. The "sand dance" is a reference to a dance move from the 1920s that was popularized in the UK by performer Fred Astaire in 1928. The next line warns that the paintings will fall down "like a domino" if they move too quickly, which refers to the chain reaction caused when a single domino falls and knocks down others.
The chorus encourages people to "walk like an Egyptian" and describes different groups of people, such as the bazaar men by the Nile with their gold crocodiles, foreign types with hookah pipes, blonde waitresses with their trays, school kids who are sick of books, and even cops hanging out in the donut shop. The second verse describes how people in different cultures move, such as the slide of feet up the street and the bent back of Egyptians, the arm movement of the Blonde waitresses, and the straight line walking of the Chinese.
The lyrics playfully and cleverly draw attention to cultural differences and encourage listeners to embrace and even imitate them. The catchy tune, combined with the memorable chorus, made the song one of the most popular hits of the 1980s.
Line by Line Meaning
All the old paintings on the tombs
We observe various antique paintings on the tombs.
They do the sand dance don't you know
The paintings animate and do a dance on the tomb like a sandstorm.
If they move too quick
Oh eh oh
They're falling down like a domino
When the painted figures move too quick, they fall just like a domino effect.
All the bazaar men by the Nile
We see merchants on the street of Cairo by the Nile river.
They got the money on a bet
They gamble their money on the game of chances.
Gold crocodiles
They possess precious gold statuettes of crocodiles.
Oh eh oh
They snap their teeth on your cigarette
In case a stranger walks by, they intimidate them by snapping their teeth on their cigarette.
Foreign types with the hookah pipes say
Foreigners smoke hookah and say...
Hey oh eh oh, hey oh oh eh oh
"Hey, everybody, let's all walk like an Egyptian!"
the Blonde waitresses take their trays
We observe blonde waitresses who carry their trays.
They spin around and they cross the floor
They spin and dance so gracefully on the dance floor.
They've got the moves
They have some impressive dance moves.
Oh eh oh
You drop your drink then they bring you more
You may get so mesmerized by their dancing that you drop your drink and they will bring you a new one.
All the school kids so sick of books
We see students who are tired of studying.
They like the punk and the metal band
They prefer punk and metal songs instead of traditional music.
When the buzzer rings
When it's break time at school,
Oh eh oh
They're walking like an Egyptian
They walk like Egyptians, using funny hand gestures.
All the kids in the marketplace say
We see children at a local market who say...
Hey oh eh oh, hey oh oh eh oh
"Hey, everybody, let's all walk like an Egyptian!"
Slide your feet up the street bend your back
We hear the suggestion to slide our feet up the street while bending our backs.
Shift your arm then you pull it back
We are told to shift and pull our arms back in a certain way too.
Life is hard you know
The artist reminds us of the reality of life's struggles.
Oh eh oh
So strike a pose on a Cadillac
As a coping mechanism, strike a pose atop a Cadillac convertible like the rich and famous.
If you want to find all the cops
We learn a trick to find where all the cops go.
They're hanging out in the donut shop
Most of them hang out at their favorite donut shop.
They sing and dance
They have fun and enjoy singing and dancing.
Oh eh oh
Spin the clubs cruise down the block
They dance in the clubs and go on cruising around the streets.
All the Japanese with their yen
We see Japanese tourists with their Japanese yen.
The party boys call the Kremlin
The party boys call the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia.
And the Chinese know
The Chinese people are aware...
Oh eh oh
They walk the line like Egyptian
They walk like an Egyptian in their unique way too.
All the cops in the donut shop say
The police officers in the donut shop sing...
Hey oh eh oh, hey oh oh eh oh
"Hey, everybody, let's all walk like an Egyptian!"
Walk like an Egyptian
The singer repeats the main idea of the song again to have everyone walk like an Egyptian.
Contributed by Jonathan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Fabrizio
dommage ... la qualité du son !!!