"Is that the Queen of Sheba or an alien dream? The marks on the table say somewhere in between." From Prince's, "The Wall of Berlin."

This is a great song and beside that is the curiosity of this lyric, and the idea of knocking down the wall of Berlin.

What are your idea's about this song?

She got on the wall...What's the wall?

The marks on the table...What's the table?

My opinion is that Prince has a deeper historical understanding about the world in general...I can never pinpoint exactly to a T what Prince means...although, I feel as if Prince writes things ahead of my time as I come to gather a deeper knowlege about Prince as time goes on.

I pretty much feel as if the song is about a historical illusion being unveiled.
Any way U look at the meaning...the song is very cool...

I think it just sounded cute in his head

The man is totally back on form lyrically with this album that's for sure.

"who u gonna be tonight baby?" "where am I?" "we just me, or at least we need to pretend" i think he's singing about an adventurous woman with whom he makes love. some role playing, some "staycations" perhaps where costuming is involved. "knocking down" is an urban metaphor for having sex, so my thought is he's singing about enjoying their sexcapades where they keep things VERY interesting., its so fresh, "knocking down" the Wall of Berlin

mad sexy!....heard the thunder before the lightning struck!

Tame said:

clearly influenced by the book "The Temptation of Saint Anthony"
as written by Gustave Floubert.

hmm...yeah I get the impression "she's" had her wall up...but he's slowly knockin' it down and getting to her...
or perhaps that's how it all started...yet she continues to keep the wall up for appearances.
it's about bangin'...that's fer sure.

IstenSzek said:

how so? (i mean please inform us, the less cultured layman)

datdude said:

I like what U wrote...very interesting point of view on the song.

Sometimes, a song about pizza is just a song about pizza.

It's a wonderful song. There's a sense of freedom, stepping into a new world, feeling lost but exhilarated.

But I wouldn't ascribe any deep understanding of history to it. Prince's grasp of history is mostly of the A&E/PBS documentary variety.

As for the Queen of Sheba line, it's probably just there for effect. Prince often throws in regal/royal-sounding terms to embellish mundane subject matter. Like "Muse 2 the Pharaoh," the whole Egyptian princess thing on Symbol. It's really just Prince chasing some girl. But he can't resist the urge to dress it all up in pomp and splendor.

padawan said:

Exactly. Just ornamentation.

datdude said:

Very true.....I also think it's about oral as well when he says she goes down like the wall of berlin.....I don't think I know. It is sooo not hiden Giggles

Dress Up and Role Playing.

Perhaps Prince is looking for Isis.

Which could mean that Prince wants to play Osiris.

I hesitate to find reason with these lyrics as only Prince knows what he intended.

Prince is greatly inspired by the historical meeting of Queen Makeda, also known as the Queen of Sheba, and King Solomon. The ancient Ethiopian text, The Kebra Negast, details this meeting, and how Sheba bore Solomon's son...known as Menelik, or David the 2nd. The book also describes how the original Arc of the Covenant was taken by all the first born sons of the priests and the elders from ancient Israel to Ethiopia, where Ethiopians believe it still rests. As Prince is a deeply spiritual man, in Muse to the Pharaoh, he also sings about Makeda and Solomon, it seems as if he's putting historical pieces together for himself.

below, copy of ancient Kebra Negast

If he was still in his cussin' days this track would've been one of the raunchiest on the cd.
It's clearly about role playing and sex with a woman who everytime they hook up they act like they just met for the first time.
Even Jehovah Witnesses can dream about it!

MyLawd said:

Prince is obsessed with Solomon because he had lots of wives. It's the same standard pimp thing he has pursued since before he became a JW, just dressed up with different justifications.

stanleylieber said:

i don't see it that way...in fact, unless he and bria are intimate now, he was celebate for quite some time.

TRC also talks about how, "the covenant, will be kept this time," hence, a possible link w/ the Arc of the Covenant itself

I agree that History is fascinating...I also believe that just because U were an Egyptian in 300 BC...doesn't mean U entire soul record will be born under that Ethnicity...If U believe that reincarnation is possible...If U don't believe that reincarnation is possible than U believe that U live and die only one time.

I personally do believe it is possible because if U believe that your spirit exists outside of your body...than U must believe it can be re-embodied...If the spirit comes in at birth, and goes out at death, than surely it can happen several times over.

This is another reasonable aspect to ethic equality and respecting all avenues of life.

datdude said:

BINGO!! That's what I think this song means too. I like the fact that it's sexual and crypic without being vulgar.

datdude said:

Hmmmm!
Now that I listened to the song again... I think it is about some woman from Berlin and he is knocking her sugar walls? You need to be a Prince fan to figure out what he means

Tame said:

Prince is studying history...and I do not think that 'ethnicity' is a factor here, unless those are the lenses one uses to gain an understanding of the past. With that being said, Prince's spiritual growth has included seeing the past through his own eyes.

As for the Kebra Negast, it like many other 'sacred' and ancient books were literally stolen from Africa, by one William Budge (from the UK). Knowledge and wisdom are powerful and may be manipulated by those who possess it. Therefore, it is important for us all to put the pieces of this massive story together for ourselves,

and realise as Prince sometimes says that the gatekeepers don't really want all to have access to this truth, coz it's funky and can sho'nuff knock Babylon down, the way Jeremiah and his brethren used trumpets back in the day

peace and stay sexy

MyLawd said:

why the violent imagery?