Rock the Casbah

According to the Rock The Casbah Songfacts, Clash Drummer Topper Headon wrote the music and the original lyrics. Vocalist Joe Strummer then decided to take Headon's lyrics in a different direction, to tell the story of an Arab ruler (the Shereef) who hates music, but is defied by the citizens . According to former Clash co-manager Kosmo Vinyl, Headon's original words were a filthy ode to his girlfriend. Vinyl recalled to Rolling Stone: "He had really pornographic lyrics for it if I remember correctly. Very, very pornographic lyrics." Strummer's inspiration for re-working the song came from the Clash's other manager, Bernie Rhodes, who asked the band, "Does everything have to be as long as a raga?" after a particularly long take of the track "Sean Flynn." Strummer told Rolling Stone shortly before he died in 2002: "I got back to the hotel that night and wrote on a typewriter, 'The King told the boogie men You gotta get that raga drop.' I looked at it and for some reason I started to think about what someone had told me earlier, that you get lashed for owning a disco album in Iran."

[Verse 1] Now the king told the boogie men You have to let that raga drop The oil down the desert way Has been shaken to the top The Sheikh he drove his Cadillac He went a' cruisin' down the ville The Muezzin was a'standing On the radiator grille [Chorus] Shareef don't like it Rockin' the Casbah, rock the Casbah Shareef don't like it Rockin' the Casbah, rock the Casbah [Verse 2] By order of the prophet We ban that boogie sound Degenerate the faithful With that crazy Casbah sound But the Bedouin they brought out The electric kettle drum The local guitar picker Got his guitar pickin' thumb As soon as the Shareef Cleared the square They began to wail [Chorus] Shareef don't like it Rockin' the Casbah, rock the Casbah Shareef don't like it Rockin' the Casbah, rock the Casbah [Verse 3] Now over at the temple Oh! They really pack 'em in The in crowd say it's cool To dig this chanting thing But as the wind changed direction And the temple band took five The crowd caught a whiff Of that crazy Casbah jive [Chorus] Shareef don't like it Rockin' the Casbah, rock the Casbah Shareef don't like it Rockin' the Casbah, rock the Casbah [Verse 4] The king called up his jet fighters He said "You better earn your pay Drop your bombs between the minarets Down the Casbah way" As soon as the Shareef was Chauffeured outta there The jet pilots tuned to The cockpit radio blare As soon as the Shareef was Out of their hair The jet pilots wailed [Chorus] Shareef don't like it Rockin' the Casbah, rock the Casbah Shareef don't like it Rockin' the Casbah, rock the Casbah [Outro] (Shareef don't like it) Thinks it’s not kosher (Rockin' the Casbah Rock the Casbah) (Shareef don't like it) Fundamentally can’t take it (Rockin' the Casbah Rock the Casbah) (Shareef don't like it) You know he really hates it (Rockin' the Casbah Rock the Casbah) (Shareef don't like it) Really, really hates it