Music from the 80's. The French Tunissian born singer Eli Robert Fitoussi, known as F.R. David, became world famous with his hit Words in 1982, after some time being part of Vangelis. Sahara Night is also one of his greatest international hits.

Warning: there are a few -s sounds that simply shouldn't be there. We removed them from the transcription. Also when he says "the hold he had on me" the tense doesn't fit the rest of the lyrics because he is talking about all this experience in the present, so we dared to put "it has on me". And "cease" should be "ceases" (3rd person singular).

Spirit of the sands
On vast and empty land
Where no one belongs
When the blue gets dark
At the failing lights
Between moon and sun

In the desert fields
Fever's so high
Makes me wanna shout
Sahara night

Listen to the wind
Bringing to your ears
Music from afar
You may hear the sounds
Of a tribal dance
Coming from the heights

In the desert fields
Fever's so high
Makes me wanna shout
Sahara, Sahara night, Sahara night

Oooooh oooooh ooooooh
Oooooh oooooh ooooooh
Oooooh oooooh ooooooh
Oooooh oooooh ooooooh

And stars screen
The awful mystery of space
With its weight of fear
I now realise
The hold it has on me

Oooooh oooooh ooooooh
Oooooh oooooh ooooooh

I love to watch the sky
Smiling at the stars
Laying on the ground
Gentle is the breeze
Hope it never cease
Soothing my mind

In the desert fields
Fever's so high
Makes me wanna shout
Sahara, Sahara night, Sahara night

Oooooh oooooh ooooooh
Oooooh oooooh ooooooh
Oooooh oooooh ooooooh
Oooooh oooooh ooooooh

Oh, Sahara night
Ooh, Makes me feel
Makes me feel so right

Sahara night
Makes me feel
Makes me feel so right

Oooooh oooooh ooooooh
Oooooh oooooh ooooooh
Oooooh oooooh ooooooh
Oooooh oooooh ooooooh

Oooooh oooooh ooooooh
Oooooh oooooh ooooooh
Oooooh oooooh ooooooh
Oooooh oooooh ooooooh

VAST= Taking a very big space.

THE BLUE= The sky. When the blue gets dark = When the night falls.

FAILING LIGHTS= If a light is failing, it is disappearing.

FEVER= Abnormally high body temperature, usually caused by a medical condition (= a temperature). Metaphorically we can also use FEVER to talk about a temporary and intense state of excitement, in this case due to the overwhelming power of the desert at night. If the fever is high, the temperature or feeling is more intense.

WANNA= (coll.) Want to.

FROM AFAR= (old-fashioned) From a distant place.

THE HEIGHTS= An area place at a high level, especially up in the mountains. It may also mean heaven or the sky.

SCREEN= A screen is a wall or sheet used to hide, separate, cover or protect something or some place. To screen is to hide, protect or cover as if by means of a screen. In this case "stars screen" means that the light of the stars prevents us from seeing the horrible emptiness that is supposed to exist behind them according to ancient mythologies.

ITS WEIGHT OF FEAR= If something has a weight of fear, it usually produces that effect and makes people feel afraid.

REALIZE= /rɪəlaɪz/ To understand, to be aware of something through a mental process. (If it is through a sensorial process we say to NOTICE).

THE HOLD= If someone or something has a hold (or "a grip") on you, you are under its power, deeply affected by it in a positive or negative way.

GENTLE IS THE BREEZE= (poetical) A hyperbaton is when we change the normal order of a sentence to make it sound more poetical and beautiful. In this case the "correct" order should be: The breeze is gentle.

BREEZE= A soft wind.

HOPE IT NEVER CEASE= It should be "I hope it never ceases". CEASE = Stop.

SOOTHING= Relaxing.

F.R. David expresses in this song the awe he feels before the power and vastness of the desert, especially at that magical moment when the night comes and it all gets dark. The landscape turns surreal under the moonlight and he feels literally transported into another dimension and another time.

Actually, F.R. David knows what he's talking about. He was born there.