Since 2000, the band has played concerts around the U.S.A. and Europe, and has made numerous television appearances, including performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Fox News Channel, CNN, and as the house band on NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly and MTV's Say What? Karaoke series.
Richard Cheese text taken from Wikipedia.
Rock the Casbah
Richard Cheese Lyrics
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The shareef don't like it
Rockin' the Casbah
Rock the Casbah
The shareef don't like it
Rockin' the Casbah
Rock the Casbah
Oh! They really pack 'em in
The in crowd say it's cool
To dig this chanting thing
But as the wind changed direction
The temple band took five
The crowd caught a wiff
Of that crazy Casbah jive
CHORUS
But the Bedouin they brought out
The electric camel drum
The local guitar picker
Got his guitar picking thumb
As soon as the shareef
Had cleared the square
As soon as the shareef was
Chauffeured outta there
The jet pilots tuned to
The cockpit radio blare
As soon as the Shareef was outa their hair
They began to wail
CHORUS
He thinks it's not kosher
Rockin' the Casbah
Rock the Casbah
R O C K Casbah
Rockin' the Casbah
Rock the Casbah
The Richard Cheese's song Rock the Casbah contains various subliminal meanings that can be tough to decipher but to have a full understanding of the lyrics, it would require one to know the background of the song. The song was released in 1982 by The Clash and was inspired largely by the banning of rock music by the Iranian government during the Islamic Revolution. The song is about the revolutionary power of rock music in the face of oppression.
The first two lines of the Chorus, "The shareef don't like it, Rockin' the Casbah, Rock the Casbah," show that the shareef – the traditional Islamic leader – disapproves of rock music. The shareef refers to the conservative Islamic aristocrats in the Middle East who frowned away Western culture all through the years. They feel that rock music, with its blended themes and subversive lyrics, could overturn the existing order.
The second verse of the song shows that the younger generation had begun to appreciate rock music even though the elders disapproved of it. The temple band took a break, and the crowd took that opportunity to experience rock music for the first time, and they became hooked. However, when the shareef found out, he ordered the music's cessation, which led to the Bedouins using the electric camel drum and the local guitar player strangling his guitar in a frenzy as a replacement. The final chorus repeats the first, indicating the shareef's strong disapproval of Western culture and by association rock music.
Line by Line Meaning
The shareef don't like it
The leader doesn't approve of it
Rockin' the Casbah
Playing loud music in the palace
Rock the Casbah
Rock out in the palace
The shareef don't like it
The leader doesn't approve of it
Rockin' the Casbah
Playing loud music in the palace
Rock the Casbah
Rock out in the palace
Now over at the temple
At the religious building nearby
Oh! They really pack 'em in
It's overcrowded with worshippers
The in crowd say it's cool
The cool people think it's fashionable
To dig this chanting thing
To enjoy the chanting music
But as the wind changed direction
Suddenly, out of nowhere
The temple band took five
The musicians took a break
The crowd caught a wiff
The audience noticed a smell
Of that crazy Casbah jive
Of the wild rhythm from the palace
But the Bedouin they brought out
The Bedouin people arrived
The electric camel drum
A musical instrument resembling a camel
The local guitar picker
The guitarist from nearby
Got his guitar picking thumb
He was ready to play guitar
As soon as the shareef
The moment the leader
Had cleared the square
Left the area
As soon as the shareef was
When the leader was
Chauffeured outta there
Driven away from the palace
The jet pilots tuned to
The airplane pilots listened to
The cockpit radio blare
The loud music on the radio
As soon as the Shareef was outa their hair
Once the leader had departed
They began to wail
They started playing loudly
He thinks it's not kosher
He doesn't think it's appropriate
Rockin' the Casbah
Playing loud music in the palace
Rock the Casbah
Rock out in the palace
R O C K Casbah
Spell out the name of the palace
Rockin' the Casbah
Playing loud music in the palace
Rock the Casbah
Rock out in the palace
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Topper Headon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind