The Garden of Allah

It was a pretty big year for fashion
A lousy year for rock and roll
The people gave their blessing to crimes of passion
It was a dark, dark night of the collective soul
And I was somewhere out on Riverside by the El Royale Hotel
When a stranger appeared in a cloud of smoke
I thought I knew him all too well

He said, "Now that I have your attention"
"I got something I wanna say"
"You may not wanna hear it, I'm gonna tell it to you anyway"
"You know I've always like you boy"
"'Cause you were not afraid of me"
"Things are gonna get mighty rough, here in Gomorrah-By-The-Sea"

He said, "It's just like home"
"It's so damn hot I can't stand it"
"My fine seersucker suit is all soaking wet"

And the hills are burning
And the wind is raging
And the clock strikes midnight in the garden of Allah
In the garden of Allah

Nice car
Ah, I love those Bavarians, so meticulous
Y'know I remember a time when things were a lot more fun around here
When good was good and evil was evil
Before things got so fuzzy
Yeah, I was once a golden boy like you
And I was summoned to the halls of power in the heavenly courts
And I dined with the deities who looked upon me with favor

For my talents, my creativity
And we sat beneath the palms in the warm afternoons
And drank the wine with Fitzgerald and Huxley
And they pawned the biting phrase from the tongues hot with blood
And drained their pens of bitter ink
Vainly reaching for the bottle full of empty Edens
Branded especially for the ones who had come with great expectations
To the perfumed halls of Allah, for their time in the sun

And we were stokin' the fires
And oilin' up the machinery
Until the gods found out we had ideas of our own

And the war was coming
And the Earth was shaking
And there was no more room in the garden of Allah
In the garden of Allah

Today I made an appearance downtown
I am an expert witness, because I say I am
And I said, "Gentlemen, and I use that world loosely"
"I will testify for you, I'm a gun for hire, I'm a saint, I'm a liar"
"Because there are no facts, there is no truth, just data to be manipulated"
"I can get you any result you like, what's it worth to you?"

"Because there is no wrong, there is no right"
"And I sleep very well at night"
"No shame, no solution, no remorse, no retribution"
"Just people selling t-shirts"
"Just opportunity to participate in the pathetic little circus"
"And winning, winning, winning"

It was pretty big year for predators
The marketplace was on a roll
And the land of opportunity
Spawned a whole new breed of men without souls
This year, notoriety got all confused with fame
And the devil is downhearted babe
'Cause there's nothing left for him to claim

He said, "It's just like home"
"It's so low-down I can't stand it"
"I guess my work around here has all been done"

And the fruit is rotten
The serpent's eyes shine
As he wraps around the vine
In the garden of Allah
In the garden of Allah

In the garden of Allah