Arabian Nights
Lyrics:
[English]
Oh, imagine a land, it's a faraway place
Where the caravan camels roam
Where you wander among every culture and tongue
It's chaotic, but, hey, it's home
When the wind's from the East
And the sun's from the West
And the sand in the glass is right
Come on down, stop on by
Hop a carpet and fly
To another Arabian night
As you wind through the streets
...
At the fabled bazaars
With the cardamom-cluttered stalls
You can smell every spice
While you haggle the price
Of the silks and the satin shawls
Oh, the music that plays as you move through a maze
In the haze of your pure delight
You are caught in a dance
You are lost in the trance
Of another Arabian night
Arabian nights
Like Arabian days
More often than not are hotter than hot
In a lot of good ways
Arabian nights
Like Arabian dreams
This mystical land of magic and sand
Is more than it seems
There's a road that may lead you
To good or to greed through
The power your wishing commands
Let the darkness unfold or find fortunes untold
Well, your destiny lies in your hands
Only one may enter here
One whose worth lies far within
A diamond in the rough
Arabian nights
Like Arabian days
They seem to excite, take off and take flight
To shock and amaze
Arabian nights
'Neath Arabian moons
A fool off his guard could fall and fall hard
Out there on the dunes
...
Vocabulary in this song:
Vocabulary | Meanings |
---|---|
imagine /ɪˈmædʒɪn/ B1 |
|
roam /roʊm/ B2 |
|
wander /ˈwɑːndər/ B1 |
|
chaotic /keɪˈɑːtɪk/ B2 |
|
wind /wɪnd/ A2 |
|
fabled /ˈfeɪbld/ C1 |
|
bazaar /bəˈzɑːr/ B2 |
|
cluttered /ˈklʌtərd/ B2 |
|
haggle /ˈhæɡəl/ B2 |
|
spice /spaɪs/ B1 |
|
delight /dɪˈlaɪt/ B2 |
|
trance /træns/ B2 |
|
mystical /ˈmɪstɪkəl/ C1 |
|
greed /ɡriːd/ B2 |
|
commands /kəˈmændz/ B2 |
|
fortunes /ˈfɔːrtʃənz/ B2 |
|
shock /ʃɑːk/ B2 |
|
Grammar:
-
Oh, imagine a land, it's a faraway place
➔ Imperative for suggestion/invitation
➔ The word "imagine" is used as an imperative, inviting the listener to consider or visualize a scene. While grammatically a command, it functions more as a suggestion or enticement.
-
Where the caravan camels roam
➔ Relative Clause with "where"
➔ "Where" introduces a relative clause modifying "a faraway place." It specifies the characteristic of the place – it's a place where caravan camels roam.
-
When the wind's from the East
➔ Ellipsis (omission of "is")
➔ The phrase "the wind's" is a contraction of "the wind is." The verb "is" is often omitted in informal speech or song lyrics for brevity and rhythm.
-
More often than not are hotter than hot
➔ Subject-Verb Inversion (non-standard)
➔ The standard word order would be "Arabian nights are more often than not hotter than hot." The inversion emphasizes the intensity of the heat. This is often done for stylistic effect in poetry and song, even though grammatically unconventional.
-
This mystical land of magic and sand Is more than it seems
➔ Subject-Verb Agreement with a Compound Noun Phrase
➔ "This mystical land of magic and sand" acts as a singular subject. Even though it contains multiple elements (magic and sand), the phrase as a whole is considered one thing, thus the singular verb "is."
-
There's a road that may lead you To good or to greed through The power your wishing commands
➔ Modal verb "may" expressing possibility, Relative clause with "that", preposition "through" expressing means.
➔ "May" suggests a possibility, not a certainty, that the road leads to good or greed. "That may lead you" is a relative clause defining the road. "Through the power..." indicates the means by which the outcome is determined.
-
A fool off his guard could fall and fall hard
➔ Conditional sentence with implied "if", modal verb "could"
➔ This sentence implies "If a fool is off his guard, he could fall and fall hard." "Could" indicates a possibility or a potential consequence.