Mekons - Harar 1883 Lyrics

I wrap my scarf around my head
Tight against the desert dread
Wind blown hard across the sand
Bullet marks that scar my hand
Back home they think I've disappeared
Yes, it's true that I deserted
That Dutch army in the east
I was not troubled in the least
To give up writing poetry
I traded coffee in Abyssinia
I was the only European
Haile Selassie's father's friend

In the desert my wild heart
Was stilled, my tent was dark
Sheltering from the beating sun
My supply of antique guns
Eyes resting on the horizon
A line of camels approaching
Wrap my scarf around my head
Tight against the desert dread
I wrap my scarf around my head
Against the desert dread

Wrap my scarf around my head
Wrap my scarf around my head
Against the desert dread
I was the only European
Haile Selassie's father's friend