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Renaissance SONG OF SCHEHERAZADE lyrics

The Sultan

Sultan king cruel majesty
Ordered that his women die
A single night this for all his wives
Takes his pleasure then their lives
And so for many days with the dawn
The sultan had his way
Wives were put to death
His name on their dying breath
Then one day as the evening came
Sultan sends for him a wife
Choose her well charms I wish to see
Bring her, send her in to me
Then came Scheherazade to his side
And her beauty shone
Like a flower grown
Gentle as he'd ever known
Scheherazade bewitched him
With songs of jewelled keys
Princes and of heroes
And eastern fantasies
Told him tales of sultans
And talismans and rings
A thousand and one nights she sang
To entertain her king
She sings, Scheherazade, Scheherazade, etc
The Young Prince And The Young Princess As Told By Scheherazade
And you would cause the sun to see your light
And then be shamed
You cover darkness with a thousand secret flames
With your love, oh my love, oh my love, my love
And I would cause the winds to blow a hundred different days
And bring the perfumes of the gardens of the ways
Of your love, oh my love, oh my love, my love
Crystal and the clay, nights and the days
All on the prince's seal
Eagle of the sky, lion of the earth
This is what the seal is worth, what the seal is worth
Holds all of the dreams of a man
Tapestries, wishes of man, pictures and visions of man
The spirit of the soul of the man
And he would vow to love her for the rest of all his days
The Festival
Sheherazade this day is yours
The bearers of your gifts now all around you stand
The finest silk made in the land
Is waiting for your choice
It shimmers at your hand
Sheherazade your life is one
You have today the sultan's love
The people watch you step into the sun
Stalls and bars of every kind
Food piled high on woven leaves for all to eat
Drums and flutes at every turn
The music winding, twisting through the crowded streets
Caravans from far away bring people laughing
People come to see the sultan in Baghdad today
Scheherazade her name is known
Her tale is told
The sultan let her life be spared
The festival begins this day
To celebrate her fame
The people sing her praise
Stories sung, the crowds are dancing
To the music and the entertainment all the voices sing
The people call to see the king
The sultan smiles
His story just begun
The sultan and Sheherazade are one
Scheherazade, Scheherazade
She told him tales of sultans and talismans and rings
A thousand and one nights she sang to entertain her king
She sings, Scheherazade, Sheherazade, Scheherazade, etc.

And the woman who sang this, Annie Haslam, had a 5 octave range at her prime.

I love heroic music. Most of the best "story telling" music is also heroic. There are also some great heoric pieces without lyrics, but they still tell a story, just the same. Movie themes are a prime example, like Patton, or The Guns of Navarone.

And then there are movie themes that explicitely tell a story:

Do not forsake me, oh my darling from High Noon

Do not forsake me,
Oh my darling
On this, our wedding day
Do not forsake me,
Oh my darling
Wait,
Wait along

I do not know
What fate awaits me
I only know
I must be brave
And I must face a man
Who hates me
Or lie a coward,
A craven coward
Or lie a coward
In my grave

Oh, to be torn
'Tweenst love and duty
Suposing I lose
My fair-haired beauty
Look at that big hand move along
Nearing high noon

He made a vow
While in state prison
Vowed it would be
My life or his'n
I'm not afraid of death
But oh
What will I do
If you leave me?

Do not forsake me,
Oh my darlin'
You made that promise
As a bride
Do not forsake me,
Oh my darlin'
Although you're grieving,
Don't think of leaving
Now that I need you
By my side

Wait along, wait along,
Wait along, wait along,
Wait along, wait along,
Wait along, wait along,
Wait along.

Ned Washington - Dmitri Tiomkin

Now, for a challenge to those interested. Find the story of how this movie was almost shelved after initial screenings and how an editor and this song saved it to become one of the top 5 movies of all time.