Perfumes of Arabia

"Perfumes of Arabia" was written by Maggie Holland in 1991, and refers to the Gulf War of that year. At a time when the missiles are once again being used in oil-rich countries, and with rising fuel prices it is worth revisiting the lyrics perhaps...

I was driving on a journey when I turned my radio on
Thinking to hear a story or some old familiar song
But all I heard were voices telling me a foreign war
They were counting Scuds and Patriots, they were telling me the score

I heard the voice of the airman as his plane fell from the sky
I heard the man in the foxhole as he watched his brother die
I heard the last sad song of the dolphin as he drowned in a filthy sea
I heard the mother weep aloud for her dead child on her knee

They say the sands are filled with corpses and the wells are filled with blood
The snows on the distant mountains make many's the tiny shroud
The clouds are black as thunder, they do not hold sweet rain
There is only death and poison to fall to earth again



This could be used perhaps as a classroom resource for debate. What is the language being used by the writer to describe the conflict and the connection with the fuel ?
Where does the phrase come from ?

I couldn't bear to hear it so I turned the volume down
Turned into a garage in some little Hampshire town
Filled up my car as I took the air of this green and pleasant land
And then I recognised the smell of blood upon my hand

I've tried sandalwood and roses, I've tried eau de cologne as well
Calvin Klein, Chanel number 5, it cannot ease the smell
I've tried in every Body Shop I can find throughout the land
But the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.

Cartoon from Christian Science Monitor...

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