Bruce Cockburn - Dancing In Paradise lyrics
[Bruce Cockburn - Dancing In Paradise lyrics]
Praying mantis on screen
Canoes prowl reef in early morning sun
As it flashes on the rhythmic fall
Of weed cutter's cutlass blade
Everybody's got something to sell
Besides the obvious dollars and dope
Aloe rub, starfish, vegetable patties
Braid your hair miss and bush doctor cures
Sudden angry eruption between aloe peddler
And man with property to protect
Muscular security guard with truncheon
Of twisted wire
"Kiss my blood clot" she hisses
And they're enemies for life
In the beachfront bar they're
Playing reggae versions of
Jim Reeves' Greatest Hit's
The waitress sings along
Eyes focused dreamily on
That sentimental world
And there's dancing in paradise
Dancing in paradise dancing in paradise
Dancing in paradise
Blue green ship in turquoise bay
Swollen bauxite-red river rushing
Stream rising from feathered bamboo hills
Tracks once paved now falling away
Into deep lush valleys
And the farmed-out road contracts pass
Through so many hands the print erodes with
The weather-worn blacktop
And the jungle's always trying to
Reclaim the right of way
And the mangoes cacao turmeric goats soursop
Mushrooms cane plantains limes
Horses crayfish long legged birds donkeys
Curved horns of cattle above dense grass
Ganja sensitive plant ackee
And some thorn whose prick brings lockjaw
And tires torn by sharp yellow rocks
Young girl stares pensively from dark
Door in pale blue wall
Big About and friends at their crossroads bar
With it's dirt corral for dancing
Drink soursop juice all day long
In quest of the perpetual stiff bamboo
And there's dancing in paradise
Dancing in paradise dancing in paradise
Dancing in paradise
Biggy Dread gunned down by police
At Big Bridge March 16
Riding a mule cart to Sav la-Mar
Pulled out a cutlass and they had to shoot
That's what they say
Something tells me they like to shoot
Something in the eyes of the
Ones at the road block
Where they searched the car
And tried to get us to confess to whatever
There's truncheons and gas down
In Harbour Street
Typical response where life isn't so sweet
And somebody gets desperate enough to say so
Price of fish price of flour
Going up up up almost by the hour
And they throw away money
On spectacular shows
To show the world the right
Likes the right music
And the Prime Minister sucks ice cream
In the company of a happy band of children
While a naked man, sores on his neck
Lies for days in Washington
Boulevard gnawing chicken bones
And the Chamber of Commerce thinks
There's too much crime
And there's a kung fu movie in every town
And there's dancing in paradise
Dancing in paradise dancing in paradise
Dancing in paradise dancing in paradise
Dancing in paradise dancing in paradise
Dancing in paradise dancing in paradise
Dancing in paradise
Canoes prowl reef in early morning sun
As it flashes on the rhythmic fall
Of weed cutter's cutlass blade
Everybody's got something to sell
Besides the obvious dollars and dope
Aloe rub, starfish, vegetable patties
Braid your hair miss and bush doctor cures
Sudden angry eruption between aloe peddler
And man with property to protect
Muscular security guard with truncheon
Of twisted wire
"Kiss my blood clot" she hisses
And they're enemies for life
In the beachfront bar they're
Playing reggae versions of
Jim Reeves' Greatest Hit's
The waitress sings along
Eyes focused dreamily on
That sentimental world
And there's dancing in paradise
Dancing in paradise dancing in paradise
Dancing in paradise
Blue green ship in turquoise bay
Swollen bauxite-red river rushing
Stream rising from feathered bamboo hills
Tracks once paved now falling away
Into deep lush valleys
And the farmed-out road contracts pass
Through so many hands the print erodes with
The weather-worn blacktop
And the jungle's always trying to
Reclaim the right of way
And the mangoes cacao turmeric goats soursop
Mushrooms cane plantains limes
Horses crayfish long legged birds donkeys
Curved horns of cattle above dense grass
Ganja sensitive plant ackee
And some thorn whose prick brings lockjaw
And tires torn by sharp yellow rocks
Young girl stares pensively from dark
Door in pale blue wall
Big About and friends at their crossroads bar
With it's dirt corral for dancing
Drink soursop juice all day long
In quest of the perpetual stiff bamboo
And there's dancing in paradise
Dancing in paradise dancing in paradise
Dancing in paradise
Biggy Dread gunned down by police
At Big Bridge March 16
Riding a mule cart to Sav la-Mar
Pulled out a cutlass and they had to shoot
That's what they say
Something tells me they like to shoot
Something in the eyes of the
Ones at the road block
Where they searched the car
And tried to get us to confess to whatever
There's truncheons and gas down
In Harbour Street
Typical response where life isn't so sweet
And somebody gets desperate enough to say so
Price of fish price of flour
Going up up up almost by the hour
And they throw away money
On spectacular shows
To show the world the right
Likes the right music
And the Prime Minister sucks ice cream
In the company of a happy band of children
While a naked man, sores on his neck
Lies for days in Washington
Boulevard gnawing chicken bones
And the Chamber of Commerce thinks
There's too much crime
And there's a kung fu movie in every town
And there's dancing in paradise
Dancing in paradise dancing in paradise
Dancing in paradise dancing in paradise
Dancing in paradise dancing in paradise
Dancing in paradise dancing in paradise
Dancing in paradise