The Sheik Of Araby
Spike Jones His City Slickers Lyrics
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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;
The song "The Sheik of Araby" by Spike Jones is a playful and cheeky interpretation of Middle Eastern culture, as expressed in the figure of the "Sheik" who claims ownership of the object of his affection. The lyrics play on the romanticized image of the "Sheik" as a seductive and powerful figure, who charms his way into the heart of his lover and promises her a life of luxury and adventure in his kingdom. The opening line of the song sets the tone for this theme, with the singer proclaiming himself as the "Sheik of Araby" and announcing his intention to claim the love of his partner.
As the song continues, the singer employs a variety of playful and poetic images to convey the intensity of the Sheik's love for his partner. He promises to "creep" into her tent at night, invoking the idea of intrigue and romance in a secretive setting. He also uses the metaphor of the stars to evoke the beauty and grandeur of their love, suggesting that it will lead them to a shared destiny of ruling over a land together. Overall, the song presents a fun and irreverent take on the romanticized image of the Middle East, while also celebrating the power of love to transcend cultural differences.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm the Sheik of Araby
I am the leader and ruler of Araby, a land in the Arabian Peninsula.
Your love belongs to me.
You are passionately in love with me and devotedly belong to me.
At night when you're asleep
When you are in deep slumber, completely unaware of your surroundings,
Into your tent I'll creep.
I will secretly sneak into your tent and be near you.
The stars that shine above,
The celestial objects in the sky that emit light, making the night sky beautiful.
Will light our way to love.
The starry sky will be our guiding light as we embark on a romantic journey together.
You'll rule this land with me;
You will be by my side, ruling this land together with me as equals.
Lyrics © HARRY B. SMITH COPYRIGHTS, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ted Snyder, Harry B. Smith, Francis Wheeler
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rick Westlake
Okay ... my Barbershop Quartet used to sing it this way, during the Oil Crisis in the early 1970s:
I'm the Sheik of Araby,
The oil belongs to me!
At night, when you can't sleep,
It's 'cause I've turned down the heat....
And when you drive your car,
You can't get very far ...
I'll rule this land, you see,
'Cause I'm the Sheik of Araby!"
(Pantomiming the action of a walking-beam pump, or a Rocking Camel...)
"Cause I'm the She-eik ... of Aaaa ... Rab ...EEE!"
Edoardo Fumia
I'm the Sheik of Araby,
Your love belongs to me.
At night when you're asleep
Into your tent I'll creep.
And the stars that shine above,
Will light our way to love.
You'll roam this land with me,
I'm the Sheik of Araby.
Oh, I'm the Sheik of Araby
And all the women worship me.
You should see them follow me around. Not bad.
Even wives of all the other sheiks,
They beg to kiss my rosy cheeks
And that ain't bad -- in fact, that's good, I've found. I'm a cad!
When I lay down to sleep
I'm counting girls instead of sheep
From my harem I can't scare 'em out. Why should I?
They're beauties from all races,
And some have pretty faces.
I'm the Sheik who knows what love is all about.
Lowell Thomas, Jr.
These men made my childhood much happier with their antics ! lol
Jeff J
Remembering Spike Jones born on December 14, 1911. He was an American musician and bandleader specializing in spoof arrangements of popular songs and classical music. Ballads receiving the Jones treatment were punctuated with gunshots, whistles, cowbells and outlandish and comedic vocals. Jones and his band recorded under the title from the early 1940's to the mid-1950's, and toured the United States and Canada as . - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spike_Jones
Ирина Катюшкина
Чудесная музыкальная эксцентрика! Утерянный ныне жанр, в котором виртуозное владение инструментом блестяще сочетается с юмором и пародией. Браво! 👍💖🎼
Howard Johnson
My Dad had a BIG stack of 78 Spike Jones records. I crawled up on the shelf and unfortunately knocked off the entire stack. Broke every one. It's a wonder my Dad let me live through that year.
Steinwaygrande
My father was a huge fan of Spike Jones and so it naturally gravitated its way into my life. I have about fourteen 78 RPM of my fathers records which have been put on CD through my system at home and it sounds great on CD , minus the hisses,l pops and cracks. Todays generation would have no idea of who Spike Jones is. Sad in a way
RJBinghamesq
+Steinwaygrande I put up clips from a TV CONCERT of them (fifties kine) - but after a few years up, some spoilsport took it DOWN. Without those clips on YouTube - who is going to go looking for the DVD they were presumably selling? Bad business practice...
Bill Cobbett
The Spike Jones Estate keeps an eye on what reaches You Tube, although in recent months there does seem to be a lot more available from his TV shows.
Steinwaygrande
Spike Jones was a bit before my time, but I love his costumes and wacky humour. The one that gets me is called "I went to your wedding "
Asura1951
oh that is eazy, he is the forruuner of Weird Al.
Ida Chau
I am so glad I was born on the 40's to be able to remember Spike and hos crazy but very clever band.. we did not have the political correction farce or the cultural misappropriation.. so everything was enjoyed and had fun and laughs. Such misery today with the pc brigade etc.. enjoyed this video along with the others.. many thanks for sharing 🤣