III: Tribute

Europe seemed to be a garden
compared with the savagery of this land.
The crocodile slides beneath the surface
and the monkeys scream above us in the trees.
the sun is bright and hot
and all the days are summer at its full.
The grass is straw,
the rivers run dry, and the fish lie gasping.
Birds can't find food,
the wild dog keeps to its lair,
and when it rains it rains in the city and floods.

I came to city to get some cash
I'm only a boy
I came to the city to get some cash
I found a whore and plenty of laughs
I'm only a boy

Down by the river where lilies sway
and lizards dart
my father plows the earth with a stick
and breaks his heart.

I came to city for a regular job
I'm only a boy
I came to the city for a regular job
and found that a knife draws more than blood
I'm only a boy

Down by the river where trees are thin
and the sun is hot
I heard the radio talk all day
about this spot.

The city's good to the guy who's tough
and knows what he needs
the city's good to the guy who's tough
and goes on taking when he's had enough
the city's good

Someday I'll be rich and fat
I'll live in the centre and have a big car
Boys will run and work for me
and I'll drive by the river where the lizards are.