I remember when the song came out, and the way it swept the nation in the US, but never really understood the meaning of it. In general, it seems to be the story of a man who committed an unwarranted murder, or possibly execution, and who was now sitting on Death Row as a result and begging for his life, but I never understood the context or meaning behind it.
In particular, I was learning Arabic at the time from my Syrian partner in crime, and could not quite grasp the inclusion of "bismillah" (b'ism Allah = "in the name of Allah") in it. Was it the story of a man on trial for an extrajudicial killing in a foreign Arab country? Or possibly a man from and Arab nation on trial in a western nation for an extrajudicial killing? After all, the "Bohemia" in the title was not, at that time, in a Muslim nation. I never really knew.
But it did seem to catch fire among the general populace, in spite of my failure to grasp it's meaning.
.
In particular, I was learning Arabic at the time from my Syrian partner in crime, and could not quite grasp the inclusion of "bismillah" (b'ism Allah = "in the name of Allah") in it. Was it the story of a man on trial for an extrajudicial killing in a foreign Arab country? Or possibly a man from and Arab nation on trial in a western nation for an extrajudicial killing? After all, the "Bohemia" in the title was not, at that time, in a Muslim nation. I never really knew.
But it did seem to catch fire among the general populace, in spite of my failure to grasp it's meaning.
.
“Trouble rather the tiger in his lair than the sage among his books. For to you kingdoms and their armies are things mighty and enduring, but to him they are but toys of the moment, to be overturned with the flick of a finger.”
― Gordon R. Dickson, Tactics of Mistake
― Gordon R. Dickson, Tactics of Mistake