Traffic from Paradise 1993

Pink Flamingos

Dan and I like Las Vegas, never seen the sea
Where the river, where the river bed runs dry
She closes his eyes, puts her ear to his shirt
And listens to the whole wide earth
Lila's ready, she look in the mirror
He has stopped, he can't hear her
She stops in a bar, apparently she is unhurt
And with a little bit of change, oh feels good
She washes her wings in the dirt
And the bar is filled with angels cuz the world is turned upside down
All of you've been walking on your heads
Since the day your feet touched the ground
Any day, any day we'll go home
Any day, any day we'll go home, home
Well he knocks on the door, someone show him how
And I seen them before, I know him somehow
Why does he stick to my fingers?
Why does this look like his soul?
They could just make him a heaven or hell
What don't they?
I don't know
What do they want with these angels?
Why don't they take them to Reno?
Nobody ever comes for them
They're all inside of the casinos
Look at them poking like flightless birds falling from paper plates
Oh home, heavenly earthbound
But the spirit cannot wait to fly like the pink flamingos
To fly like the pink flamingos, fly, fly ?

Altar boy

A monk with a hard on in a lavender robe
That scratches his thighs for the height that he strode
As he follows a path filled with harried desire
And mimics his footsteps and sets his prayers on fire
Glad to have chosen that which left no choice
To sing without loving in a solitary voice
To observe with passion each careful denial
The protrusions which give my life meaning for a while

Sometimes I see you eating berries and weeds
You're brushing your teeth with licorice seeds
Standing too close, holding your clothes
Smiling at God, the meaning of life grows
No, no I'll never tell and I'll never know
What candles you light after the show
And I'll never tell and I'll never ask
The meaning of life after mass

Stewart's coat

Beat angels

Begging round the sun beaten streets
I can't make me no connections
Locals here no speak no English
Where is my woman, well no one knows
Ah well, some girls just have to leave in the night
While you're fast asleep
But I don't worry, I move in the dark
There were lights, there were border lights
I thought I heard that drum in the distance playing
I saw the light, I crossed my heart and beat angels were there

I woke in some hotel room
I could hardly remember my name
They were only sixteen years old
I felt so lonely, I felt so ashamed

I know sometimes I just have to leave
In the night, while you're fast asleep
But I don't worry, I move in the dark
There were lights, there were border lights
I thought I heard that drum in the distance playing
I turned around, I crossed my heart and beat angels were there

Don't you wonder where one goes wrong
Is it somewhere in a foreign rain?
We're sitting out the storm
Every lamplight in town
Man don't know when he's got it his grace
Till beat angels come and take her away, beat angels, beat angels
Well I crossed my heart and beat angels were there, beat angels?

Jolie Jolie

Jolie, jolie, pretty little thing
Berce moi toute la nuit
All I want you to do is just be happy
And we went on a walk and we went on a hill
And come back up again, you know I will
Just to bring you the mail, to me it's just another hill
Jolie, jolie,
Berce moi, prend sur toi toute la nuit
dancing love
All I want you to do is just be happy, be happy
Do you want me to fly to heaven's gate?
I won't wait
I'll go right away cuz to me it's just another day
Jolie, jolie,
Berce moi, prend sur toi toute la nuit
dancing
All I want you to do is just be happy, even happier than that

Do you want me to stop every time I start?
When I kiss your lips and you break my heart
But I do this to me it's just a little kiss
It's just a little kiss
Uh, huh, stay right there on the "A"
Yeah baby stay there
Oh daddy, you can only do the best you can
I just want you to be happy, eh

Tigers

The tigers come at four
Shaped like the curtain and the floor
Like the stars they once were wild and cold

Your turn to see me
I can抰 believe its really you
Sharpening your teeth on my low womb

Playing with tigers
Chasing the lampshade with my toes
Playing with tigers
慣il i find out where it goes

You check your clothes
You come and lay with me a while
In the theater of dream
We are sleeping in the aisle
Wind climbs up the brick
Carrying brightly colored ghosts
They play on you with
The light from the street below

Playing with tigers
Chasing the lamp with my toes
Playing with tigers
Until I find out where it goes

Where it goes, where it goes
I tried to leave you
But you sent all the cars to bring me back
Tigers are falling like paper on our parade
Tigers, tigers.
And the mail blowing out of the mailbox
Down the street, yeah yeah
Tigers.

I can't tell you anymore than that.
I'll tell you tomorrow when the train comes.
Tomorrow when the train comes

　

Rebel Rebel

Got your mother in a whirl
'Cause she's not sure if you're a boy or a girl
Hey, babe, your hairs alright
Hey, babe, let's stay out tonight
You like me, and I like it all
We like dancing, and we look divine
You know fans when they play it hard
They want more, and you want it fast
Put you down, say I'm wrong
You tacky thing, you put them on

Rebel Rebel, you've torn your dress
Rebel Rebel, your face is a mess
Rebel Rebel, how could they know?
Hot tramp, I love you so!
Doo doo doo-doo doo doo doo doo

Got your mother in a whirl
'Cause she's not sure if you're a boy or a girl
Hey, babe, your hairs alright
Hey, babe, let's stay out tonight
You like me, and I like it all
We like dancing, and we look divine
You know fans when they play it hard
They want more, and you want it first
Put you down, say I'm wrong
You tacky thing, you put them on

Rebel Rebel, you've torn your dress
Rebel Rebel, your face is a mess
Rebel Rebel, how could they know?
Hot tramp, I love you so!
Doo doo doo-doo doo doo doo doo

Rebel Rebel, you've torn your dress
Rebel Rebel, your face is a mess
Rebel Rebel, how could they know?
Hot tramp, I love you so!
Doo doo doo-doo doo doo doo doo

You've torn your dress, your face is a mess
You can't get enough, but enough ain't the test
You've got transmission and a live wire
Got your cue lines and a handful of ludes
You could be there when they count up the dues
And I love your dress
I love your dress
You're a juvenile success
Because your face is a mess
How could they know?
How could they know?
What you wanna know
Where'd you wanna go?
'Cause you've torn your dress
And your face is a mess
Ooo, ooo, your face is a mess
Ooo, ooo, so how could they know?
How could they know?
Etc...
　

Running from mercy

Oh sacred place that sets my soul alive
There's a rainbow above me that the storm clouds hide
And kind works will never die
Cuz the magic in kindness springs from the love, love, love
Little acts of kindness and little words of love
Make our earthly home heaven above
And there is no sorrow heaven cannot heal
A fire within, no cross, no crown
Running from mercy, hidden and coy
Swimming upstream down oceans of joy
Die in the arms of a natural life
Waking our happiness drowning in light
Waking our happiness drowning in light
Little acts of kindness, little words of love
Make our earthly home like heaven above
And there is no sorrow heaven cannot heal
A fire within, no cross, no crown
This thing would end up on the wind
Slow to stop our ways sing (chorus)

You, you wake up!, come on boy, come on little boy
Don't you stop her, don't you stop her
There's that door
I've got that door
I know where that door is
Just follow me and you wake up
Come on with me girl
Tomorrow

A stranger's car

Take the train
Oh you have run as far as you can go
They've tied your fingers to rails of stars
Can you hear the whistle blow?
There's is no one here to beat out your brains
There's no one who'll make you cry
If your parents kill you year by year
Well here's the time to say goodbye
And it's oh so bad from far away
And it's always warm inside
There's children there
There's children there
Who will touch your face?
Who will fill your pockets?
Avoid that tangled street
And who will count the marbles there?
And who will save your penny ring?
Come and meet the angels born this day
Sleep now the night is late
Be still until this wayward bird lets go of heaven's gate

The albatross

There, there is my ship
Finally come in
I see the mast rolling on the steps
Over the garden wall
I hear the sailor's call
I see the albatross

Over and down now I'll go home
Home to my children I left behind
Long ago with my mother the moon
That's where my father is
This broken heart is his

Archipelago is turning, turning to strangers
Here in the world, turning to strangers
Oh, they hold on
Here, here's where we live
Here is a sea, my family
We'll always be young as we've ever been
Death will not part us again nearer to heaven than
10,000 ancestors who dream of me
Well I hear you dreaming of me
Yeah sometimes, dream of me!