Arabian Nights

Arabian Nights
Followed by	"One Jump Ahead"
Video

"Arabian Nights" is the opening song from Aladdin, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman which was performed by the Peddler (singing voice by the late Bruce Adler). Howard Ashman and Alan Menken had written several reprises, but they were ultimately cut from the final film.

An alternate version of the song utilizing lyrics from the original demo was later featured in The Return of Jafar, performed by Brian Hannan. This version was also used as the main titles theme for the Aladdin television series.

Aladdin and the King of Thieves features a reprise performed by Bruce Adler as the Peddler, which was originally recorded for the first film.

Lyrics

• 1992 version
• The Return of Jafar/TV series
• King of Thieves
• Broadway
• 2019 version

Oh, I come from a land, from a faraway place
Where the caravan camels roam
Where it's flat and immense
and the heat is intense
It's barbaric, but hey, it's home

When the wind's from the east
And the sun's from the west
And the sand in the glass is right
Come on down, stop on by
Hop a carpet and fly
to another Arabian night

Arabian nights like Arabian days
More often than not
are hotter than hot
in a lot of good ways

Arabian nights 'neath Arabian moons
A fool off his guard
could fall and fall hard
out there on the dunes

Follow me to a place
where incredible feats
are routine every hour or so
Where enchantment runs rampant
Yes, wild in the streets
Open Sesame, here we go!

Arabian nights like Arabian days
They tease and excite
Take off and take flight
They shock and amaze

Arabian nights like Arabian days
More often than not
are hotter than hot
in a lot of good ways

Pack your shield, pack your sword
You won't ever get bored
Though get beaten or gored, you might
Come on down, stop on by
Hop a carpet and fly
to another Arabian night

So it goes, short and sweet
They were wed down the street
May their marriage be truly blessed
Happy end to the tale
And tomorrow's a sale
So I'd better go home and rest

Here's a kiss and a hug
Sure you don't need a rug?
I assure the price is right
Well, salaam, worthy friend
Come back soon, that's the end
Till another Arabian night

<poem> Genie: (spoken) Salaam and good evening to you all dear friends Welcome to the fabled city of Agrabah City of flying carpets, soaring heroes, famous love ballads, and more glitz and glamour than any other fictional city in the world!

(sung) Oh, I come from a land, from a faraway place Where the caravan camels roam Where it's flat and immense and the heat is intense It's barbaric, but hey, it's home

When the wind's from the east and the sun's from the west and the sand in the glass is right Come on down, stop on by Hop a carpet and fly to another Arabian night

(spoken) And of course you know what Agrabah is famous for This magical lamp Don't be fooled by its commonplace appearance Like so many things it is not what on the outside, but what's on the inside that counts, This lamp put Agrabah on the map You've never been? We can fix that!

(sung) Follow me to a place where incredible feats are routine every hour or so Where enchantment runs rampant Runs wild in the streets Open Sesame, here we go!

See the dervishes dance in ridiculous pants And romance to your hearts delight

Genie and Company: Come on down (Come on in) Let the magic begin It's another Arabian nights

Arabian nights, like Arabian days More often than not are hotter than hot in a lot of good ways

Arabian nights, 'neath Arabian moons a fool off his guard could fall and fall hard out there on the dunes

Soloist: In that magical land that mystical place there's a genie inside of every door

Men: He'll do all of your bidding Your wishes command

Genie: It's demeaning, but hey, there you are!

Ladies: Unbelievable, yes And an ethical mess

Ensemble: None the less No ones very contrite

You come here and you come to a land where any mountain can move A land of high intrigue with tricky logistics by prophets and mystics

Genie: And I've got statistics that prove

All: Arabian nights Arabian nights

(dance break)

Genie: (spoken) Agrabah, Come for the hummus, stay for the floor show Even the poor people look fabulous And everyone here has a minor in dance

And now for the softer side of Agrabah!

(harem dance)

All: Arabian nights Arabian nights

Genie: And of course you must watch your step here in Agrabah For danger lurks around every corner And ugly bad guys, too.

All: Arabian nights Genie: It's a city where a penniless nobody Can turn out to be a noble somebody

All: Arabian nights Genie: It's a place where a princess would give up her crown for true love But her father, the Sultan is a stickler for the ancient ways And our heroes pals are as thick as thieves Adorable... but thieves

And oh, did I mention, Everybody sings!

Full Company: Arabian nights like Arabian days More often than not are hotter than hot in a lot of good ways

Arabian nights 'neath Arabian moons A fool off his guard Could fall and fall hard Out there on the dunes

Arabian nights Arabian nights Arabian nights

Arabian nights!

Genie (Mariner):
Oh, imagine a land, it's a faraway place
Where the caravan camels roam
Where you wander among
Every culture and tongue
It's chaotic, but hey, it's home

When the wind's from the east
And the sun's from the west
And the sand in the glass is right
Come on down, stop on by
Hop a carpet and fly
To another Arabian night

As you wind through the streets at the fabled bazaars
With the cardamom-cluttered stalls
You can smell every spice
While you haggle the price
Of the silks and the satin shawls

Oh, the music that plays
As you move through a maze
In the haze of your pure delight
You are caught in a dance
You are lost in the trance
Of another Arabian night

Arabian nights
Like Arabian days
More often than not
Are hotter than hot
In a lot of good ways

Arabian nights
Like Arabian dreams
This mystical land
Of magic and sand
Is more than it seems

There's a road that may lead you
To good or to greed through
The power your wishing commands
Let the darkness unfold
Or find fortunes untold
Well, your destiny lies in your hands

Cave of Wonders: (spoken) Only one may enter here.
One whose worth lies far within.
A diamond in the rough.

Genie (Mariner):
Arabian nights
Like Arabian days
They seem to excite
Take off and take flight
To shock and amaze

Continued in the film version:
Cave of Wonders: (spoken) Seek thee out the diamond in the rough.

Genie (Mariner):
Arabian nights
'Neath Arabian moons
A fool off his guard
Could fall and fall hard
Out there on the dunes

Deleted Reprises

Initially, a longer composition, Howard Ashman and Alan Menken 1990 score treatment incorporated several reprises sung by The Genie of the Ring, who served as the story's narrator in the original treatment (although under the guise of the Peddler). The first reprise introduces The Wicked Wazir (later to be named Jafar) as the story's main antagonist. The second is sung as Wazir takes Aladdin to The Cave of Wonders posing as his uncle. The third plays as someone - presumably Aladdin - is locked in the dungeon, awaiting death. For the fourth and final reprise, The Genie of the Ring bids the audience farewell; this reprise was sung by The Peddler at the end of King of Thieves.

• Reprise One
• Reprise Two
• Reprise Three
• Reprise Four

In the palace, right here
Lived a wicked vizier
The adviser to Sultan Hamed
And this part-time magician
This amateur seer
Wished his boss, the good sultan, dead

He was charming and slick
But unspeakably sick
This despicable parasite
What a villain, boo hiss
Further proof, dears, that this
Is another Arabian night

A contemptible skunk
Was this counterfeit "Unc"
But Aladdin he led, alas

On a journey insane
Through forbidden terrain
To a desolate mountain pass

And the trip that they had
Was so bad for our lad
That he gradually got uptight
And suspected, guess what
This was possibly not
Just another Arabian night

What a room, what a stink
This is doom, don't you think?
As the hours of the night crawl past
You've got rats in your cell
But you'll live with the smell
Till the dawn, when you'll breathe your last

Every tick of the clock
Says get set for the block
And the shock of your awful plight
You should sleep, but you don't
'cause you know that you won't
See another Arabian night

<poem> So it goes, short and sweet Now they live down the street Doing just what they all do best Happy end to the tale And tomorrow's a sale So I'd better go home and rest

Here's a kiss and a hug Sure you don't need a rug? I assure you the price is right Well, salaam, worthy friend Come back soon, that's the end

Till another Arabian night

Videos

The Return of Jafar - Arabian Nights (English)

Aladdin & The King of Thieves - Arabian Nights Ending (1080p)

Will Smith - Arabian Nights (2019) (From "Aladdin" Audio Only)

Trivia

• When the film was first released to cinemas, the line, "Where it's flat and immense and the heat is intense" was originally "Where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face". Due to the line being offensive, it was changed shortly after being released. It is unknown whether Menken or lyricist Tim Rice wrote that extra lyric, seeing how it was never heard in the original demo. The original lyric is only heard on the first soundtrack, while the Special Edition soundtrack retains the intended lyric. In the live-action version, the line is now "Where you wander among every culture and tongue."
• In the Broadway musical and the 2019 live-action remake, the song is sung by Genie instead of the Peddler (even though it is hinted that they are both the same character).
• A parody of the song is seen on the playlist of Judy Hopps' music player under the name "Ara-bunny Nights" in Zootopia.
• The melody for the song can be heard in the teaser for the live-action remake. In the final film, the original lyrics were changed in order to tone down some references to violence. Two lyrics for that version were even sourced from The Return of Jafar version.
• The King of Thieves version is a slightly different re-working of the deleted fourth reprise; the lyrics were altered to reflect changes made to the stories (mostly Aladdin living in the palace after his wedding, contrary to an early version where Jasmine would give up her status as a princess and come live with Aladdin in the end, reflected by the original lyric "Now they live down the street").