OH SAHARA
It was a rite of passage back in my day leaving home
Trying to find yourself somewhere was something to be done
So I made my way to Hamburg and met Sabina in a bar
There and then I hoped I would see the world with her
We stood in Hamburg station at the destination board
We would only go to places we had never been before
Oh Sahara
Arising in my mind
Oh Sahara
So cruel and so kind
First stop was Berlin, it was 1974
It was Turkey, it was Ireland, it was everything and more
I took out my guitar, sang love songs on the street
Some people stopped to listen, some spat upon my feet
I looked into Sabina's eyes and saw how much she cared
She held me to her bosom, whispering let's get out of here
Oh Sahara
Arising in my mind
Oh Sahara
So cruel and so kind
We made our way to Athens, to Piraeus by the sea
The fishermen and the sailors, that was the place to be
Jazz woodbines and black coffee, the slow bouzouki blues
All the elegance of sorrow, when the notes and words are true
Her head upon my shoulder, the ocean by the door
These moments are so fleeting, but they live forevermore
Oh Sahara
Arising in my mind
Oh Sahara
So cruel and so kind
We took a boat to Morocco, a wild exotic land
Marrakesch was overwhelming, like a circus in the sand
I begged Sabina come with me, and see this journey through
To the home of the desert singer, in a place called Timbuktu
But she was hearing ocean and I was feeling sand
Her path was meditation, my path the song of man
Oh Sahara
Arising in my mind
Oh Sahara
So cruel and so kind
It was the song of Mali, I had to hear and feel
Footsteps in the desert sand, the closing of the deal
Go home to your own self, the singer sang to me
Go home and do and be the best, the best that you can be
Walk the road less travelled, with an open heart and mind
Always be a giver, for the truth you want to find
Oh Sahara
Arising in my mind
Oh Sahara
So cruel and so kind
I was lost in Hamburg I never could have known
The love Sabina gave me was to help me be alone
Sometimes I hear bouzouki in a sad and sacred song
I smile and say I thank you God for what has been and gone...
© 2016 Luka Bloom (IMRO/MCPS Ireland)