Composer
The Clash
Copyright
1982
Publisher
Sony Music Entertainment (UK) Ltd.
Notes
The Clash write about the culture conflict between the orthodox Muslims and the popular Bedouin over western music, but the old stereotypes are still there: the "prophet" (i.e., Muhammad) bans "boogie" music as degenerate, but the people love it. The mosque is a "temple" with its own band[!] that presumably plays "chants" for prayer services. The king calls in jet fighters to bomb the "temple" (note there are at least two minarets on this temple), but the pilots are no less attracted to the boogie music than the people are and presumably they refused to drop their bombs.
Lyrics

Now the king told the boogie men
You have to let that raga drop
The oil down the desert way
Has been shakin' to the top
The sheik he drove his Cadillac
He went a' cruisin' down the ville
The muezzin was a' standing
On the radiator grille

CHORUS:
The shareef don't like it
Rockin' the Casbah
Rock the Casbah
The shareef don't like it,
Rockin' the Casbah
Rock the Casbah

By order of the prophet
We ban that boogie sound
Degenerate the faithful
With that crazy Casbah sound
But the Bedouin they brought out
The electric camel drum
The local guitar picker
Got his guitar picking thumb
As soon as the shareef
Had cleared the square
They began to wail

CHORUS:
Now over at the temple
Oh! they really pack 'em in
The in crowd says it's cool
To dig this chanting thing
But as the wind changed direction
The temple band took five
The crowd caught a wiff
Of that crazy Casbah jive

CHORUS:
The king called up his jet fighters
He said you better earn your pay
Drop your bombs between the minarets
Down the Casbah way

As soon as the sahreef was
Chauffered outta there
The jet pilots tuned to
The cockpit radio blare

As soon as the shareef was
Outta their hair
The jet pilots wailed

CHORUS:
The shareef don't like it
Rockin' the Casbah
Rock the Casbah
The shareef don't like it,
Rockin' the Casbah
Rock the Casbah

The shareef don't like it (He thinks it's not kosher)
Rockin' the Casbah
Rock the Casbah
The shareef don't like it, (Fundamentally he can't take it)
Rockin' the Casbah
Rock the Casbah
The shareef don't like it (You know he really hates it.)