1. Long Time

Sometimes you feel in confusion
Sometimes you’re not sure what to do
But if you think about it in the right direction
A path towards it will show itself to you

It’s time we start to get together
It’s been so long overdue
It feels fine cause this could last forever
And that’s a long time to be stayin’ in the groove

You know it’s good when you can count on another
And another can depend on you too
But when you can’t you know you better run for cover
Before a bomb of lies it drops itself on you

You know it’s time finally get together, ..… repeat

You know there is something that says always act toward others
Just like you would like them to act towards you
Well as a sayin’ it’s an easy one to remember
But as a doin’ it sure seems to be a hard one to do

It’s time we ….. repeat

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2. Expatriate Swings

Gettin’ more accustomed to fried green plantain, than to a bowl of spaghettios
Learnin’ Spanish from the senoritas, sportin’ stubble and a sunburned nose
Likes drinkin’ ice cold Salva Vida, occasional hot shot of Ron Plata rum
He got his walkman ripped off in Oaxaca, now the drum he’s movin’ to is his own
Selects his wardrobe down by the rintin, rentin’ a house that’s closed in with wild cane
He thinks that he’ll get a boat, if he can keep it afloat they’ll have to add a capitan to his name….
Seemed like just a short while ago, the notices start comin’ in the mail, these all are going out to you, these balances all overdue, if you don’t pay them we’ll see you go to jail
With no relief in his sight he took a long look at his life, and tried to think this thing out through and through
He hooked’em cross the Texas border down to Mexico, and figured out just what he had to do

Down by the market he gets his veggies and beans, selection is small the price is high it seems
Taxis will take him wherever he wants, but overcharge first chance they get
He’s got a lawyer workin’ on his residency, he say soon come, don’t know when but I need more money
Always one more document, photo or stamp and he can’t get his carnet yet

Well on the weekends he goes to where the bright lights are to check out the girls half his age
They lovely and fine and they sure don’t mind, because if he’s got the money they’ve got the time
On Sunday mornin’ his bad head stuck to the pillow, soccer game is blastin’ on somebody’s radio
Sunlight blindin’ past the curtain, the whole room’s shakin’ from the hog back scratchin’ against the house post , the one right underneath, it’s time to get up and look something to eat
Sweet music floating from the church on the hill, Amazing Grace in bright blue and green…

The evening sun slowly sets on that smooth line out past the reef, the heat of the day slowly fades away the cool night air brings some relief
With a rustling hush the dry coconut limb cuts loose and falls to the sand
The expatriate swings in the hammock and dreams another day done in the promise land
The expatriate swings in the hammock and dreams another day done in the promise land

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3. Bay Island Blues

Bay Island blues are on me, from my nose to my toes
Bay Island blues are on me from my nose down to my barefoot toes
You know there’s too many days with too much cool breeze
And too much cool shade under too many tall trees
People here so friendly it must be a scam
The fish I caught today won’t even fit in the pan
Bay Island blues are on me baby, sun is so bright I cannot see

Bay Island blues are on me from the front to the back
Bay Island blues are on me, just like a sand fly attack
I gotta snorkel with a teeshirt to keep from gettin’ burned
Visibility’s so clear you know I’m kinda concerned
The head I’ve got today’s from havin’ too much fun last night
The beer was so cold, now my belly’s kinda tight
Bay Island blues are on me baby, what is a man supposed to do

They say a change of latitude will change your attitude, of this I’m not yet completely sure
All I know is that I never danced for many years, but all these girls around here pull you on the floor, on the floor, then out the door, yea, yea
Bay Island blues are on me, sun is so bright I cannot see

Bay Island blues are on me, you know I think I’m gonna stay
I said Bay Island blues are on me, I cashed my travelers checks today
I’m gonna find me a girl and treat her just right, she’s gonna teach me a little Spanish, keep me company at night
I’ll hustle off the cruise ships that sounds like a plan, when you’re in the tropics gotta do what you can
Bay Island blues are on me what is a man supposed to do

They say a change of latitude will change your attitude, ….. repeat

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4. Simple Song

Time for your friends and a time just right for your woman
A time for the children and a time for being alone
But when the feelin’ comes there can be no mistake
It’ll hit you anywhere it could be any place
It’s time to sing
A simple song all day and night
Time to sing and play, a simple song all day and night

A friend he came to me he said sometime something would happen he would notice
Feet they start to move his fingers start to drum a beat before he knows it
My friend it’s clear to know the reason why
If it happens once again you’ve only got to signify
It’s time to sing, …. repeat

Wadda mon say wadda a mon say everything irie inna yard
Everything cool lookin’ at you don’t be fool don’t play hard
It’s time to sing and play and dance
It’s time to take a little chance
It’s time to sing, …. repeat

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5. World and Its Motion

Little girl she peep behind the gumba limba tree
Heard a sound she didn’t recognize and wanted to see
What it was so it would not for her remain a mystery

Little boy he sayin’ when he becomes a man, wants to be just like his
Daddy and do the best he can
Try to make a livin’ try to find a place to live in this land, in this land

And then the world and its motion is spinnin’ round and round
Circling the sun, keepin’ our feet on the ground
Life is sure worth livin’ if we livin’ it free and that’s the way it should be
And that’s the way it should be

Who could stay away from here too long,
Only so many ways to sing a song
But with beauty I’ve been told, never figure you can hold it in your hand
Many rapid changes here to meet the eye, we could sit around the place and wonder why
All the time we’re feelin’ blessed , our heart is heavy in our chest,
Should we cry, should we cry,

And then the world and its motion……. repeat

We’re all people that should know
Still I’m gonna tell you before you go
We could better live together, not be like a changin’ weather, in a storm, in a storm
Positive anticipation, forward in one direction
On, on down the lonely road, sharing all the heavy load
We must bear, we must bear

And then the world and its motion ……… repeat

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6. Pulperia Leah

I met a lovely gal named Leah
Down by the corner pulperia
Her Daddy he had so adore her
That he gladly bought the store for her
Pulperia Leah, where you can find your rice and beans
And the prettiest smile you’ve ever seen
Pulperia Leah, where you can find a fish to fry
Long eyelashes, big brown eyes, Pulperia Leah

On Friday evening all the fellas come round
To pop some dominos and buy a few rounds
They know that Leah’s gonna treat them right
Full service with sugar and spice
Pulperia Leah, frozen jugito
She’s so fine from head to toe
Pulperia Leah, jam and bread
She can really, really make you twist your head, Pulperia Leah

Everybody in the barrio, admire Leah wherever she goes

This young gal Leah, she make me flip my top,you know that everytime I see her I gotta pull to a stop
I slowly pass the pulperia just to take a little peep, she’s standin’ up behind the counter when she smile my legs go weak
She’s got the power to make me feel this way, she’s actin’ kinda fly but baby that’s OK
And if she let me and maybe give me some time, I’d like to get to know try to make her all mine
This young gal Leah, she hold the key to my heart, she’s the only one I think about from sunup to dark
If I was shipwrecked in a far distant land, there’s no place I’d rather be with her there holdin’ my hand

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7. Nothin’ Wrong with That

When I left home I was just a child, lookin’ back well that’s how it seems
I was big for my age, I had eighteen years, I played the role but I wasn’t mean
I had a chance to go get payed to enroll and bump heads and that’s what I did
It kept me off the street and in civilian clothes
Gave me a messed up knee and a crooked nose
A taste for beer and country girls, time went by, it seemed to fly

I went back to Chitown to see a friend of mine a twenty year old Ranger airborner
We both fought for CYO in the Golden Gloves, Tony Zale he was in our corner
Against Alphonso Ortiz my friend lost a decision, in a rematch he beat him badly
I went off to play games, he went off to the war
Trained to survive, hard to the core
Back from R and R, back on the front lines
With two months left he got killed and we cried

When I was done with all those doins in that time of my life, I had a yearnin’ to see where there was to go
I’d won more than I’d lost which was more than I could say about the folks who were then runnin’ the show
An aroma in the air, a feelin’ alongside, a sayin’ that said do your own thing
Livin’ in a commune or carryin’ a sign
Play your music loud, speakin’ your mind
Everyone your brother or your sister or your friend
For my part it could be that way again

Time’s gone by and I don’t know where, those things seem like they happened yesterday
Vivid in memory and still in my mind, I travel back there a little every day
I guess I could’ve ended up catchin’ the train downtown, or fightin’ traffic back in quiet desperation
Still I’m hustlin’ every day to keep the beans in the pot
All my family’s healthy, I’m thankful for what I got
I don’t mean to seem I’m pattin’ me on the back it’s just I’m feelin’ good, nothin’ wrong with that
Yes I’m feelin’ good, nothin’ wrong with that
I’m feelin’ good, nothin’ wrong with that.

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8. Make Me a Move

I gotta make me a move, I’ve gotta get away
I’ll be thirty miles offshore by the break of day
There’s a reason for me leavin’, I’m not knowin’ where I’m goin’
Still there seems to be no other way, no, no

Now if I’d known in bed this morning where I’d find myself tonight sun woulda never seen my face today, I’da kept it outta sight
Now the waves roll, wind blows, and I think about how really far I’ve got to go

It’s hard to figure out sometimes why some thing can seem so good,
When the wrong in it turns out to be, all that’s understood

Now when my feet step off this boat I’m gonna put them on the street the one that heads straight outta town, I know a truck or train I’ll meet
Find one to take me to the border, after that I know there’s only two more to go
I’d like to stop,…. To think of where I’d left in haste, the place had felt like home to me but had a different taste
I guess I’ll have to keep on movin’ to a different place, I think I’m goin’ the right way but who could really say,….

It’s hard to figure out sometimes why some people seem so good,
When the wrong in them it turns out to be, all that’s understood

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9. Leavin’ You Babe

I’m leavin’ you babe, and you know the reason why
I leave behind you and all of your words of lie
The shiftin’ of gears puts my heartbeat back on the track
I’m burnin’ gas but it’s forward I’m goin’ not back

Well I’m gonna leave from you baby, gonna move on down the line
The wind is blowin’ through my hair the sun is shinin’ and I feel fine
I’ve thought about this a lot of times, this last month or two
But doin’ it not thinkin’ it is better for me and for you

When I get to where I’m goin’ I’m gonna feel good
I’ll find a job that’ll pay me just what it should
I’ll find a girl that’ll treat me the way you did
Before you figured it best to keep your feelins hid

Well I’m gonna leave from you baby ….. repeat

I found that things are not often the way they seem
Some feelins feel like they never will be the same
I’ll spend some time just to figure what I’ll do
With this life that’s changed and some time on my hands I’m not used to

Well I’m gonna leave from you baby ……. repeat

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10. West End Stroll

These last days have been hot and sunny, can’t remember the last time it rained
Had to get into town, cruise ship at the dock, the road packed I could barely get in
When I got through I headed on out, nearly swiped by a bus as I fled
Took a right at the corner to get outta dodge, the cops had a road block up ahead
I showed them my papers, they took a good look, made a frown and pulled out their book
I proceeded and said to myself, it’s time to take me a pause for the cause
Going on that West End stroll, everything’s gonna be allright
I’m talkin’ about that West End stroll, sun is settin’ smooth outta sight

I parked my truck by that high wall of flagstone, walked to the bar named for this time of day
Took a slight respite, had a few sips, everyone there was doin’ OK
I head down the road and ordered queenfish from Derry for when I pass back
Cut on across to Half Moon Bay beach, continued to make me some tracks
I pushed in the door, the whole place was packed, my redfaced friend was laughin’ head back
I proceeded and said to myself, it’s time to take me a pause for the cause, yea
Goin’ on that West End stroll, … repeat

Me and Rick and the crew hit the calle, gave a shout out to Tyll as we passed
Dodgin’ hookers and tourists and taxis and ruts, headed down toward that dimlighted shack
Checked our guns at the door and then we stepped in, Twisted rocked and it rolled like a boat
Don Arturo in straw hat and do rag, dancin’ girls on the bar seemed to float
The music was blastin’, my eardrums were tight, no worries, I’m high as a kite
I proceeded and said to myself, it’s time to take me a pause for the cause, yea
Goin’ on that West End stroll, everything’s gonna be allright
Talkin’ about that West End stroll, sun is settin’ smooth outta sight
I’m goin’ on that West End stroll, I’m feelin’ tranquilo
I’m talkin’ ‘bout that West End stroll, how many more stops to go

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11. Old Primo

Old primo’s got he young gal friend, he hopes this love they have will never end
She treats him nicely day and night, the two of them they have nary a fight
But every now and then old primo, he wake up with a worry
what more can I man do to keep things right
All day he’s workin’ hard just make a little money
He take his whole week pay, he pitch it up against the wall and say,
what sticks is mine ,baby, the rest is yours, what sticks is mine, baby, the rest is yours,
Whatever sticks is mine, the rest will surely be yours tonite

Well, on the weekend dancin’s what they do, old primo still feels he’s in the groove
The young gal dresses up, she’s lookin’ sweet, highly polished shoes on primo’s feet
Down by the club all the fellas are checkin’ out his lady, primo’s feelin’ hot his head is light, yea
When those fellas’ looks start to gain her main attention, he take his whole week pay, he pitch it up against the wall and say,
What sticks is mine, baby the rest is yours, … repeat

Well now all good things must come to an end, the young gal tellin’ primo she want to be friends
Now he’s spinnin’ round on the rebound, searchin’ high and low for another gal to be found
Well now last week down on main street, primo he was walkin’
When a pretty young gal came up to smile at him
Primo stopped dead in his tracks and turned in her direction,
He take his whole week pay, he pitch it up against the wall and say,
What sticks is mine, baby the rest is yours ,……. repeat

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12. Tiene Que Cuidar / Hold’em Joe

I don’t tuck my shirt in anymore, you know these days it just don’t suit my taste
Now I like to wear ‘em kinda baggy, hangin’ loosely over this piece down in my waist, no
Never was I a man big on packin’, live and let live is what they used to say
But now the runnin’s around are getting desperado, tiene que cuidar su vida ese yo se

And I say hold, hold ‘em Joe, don’t let’em go
You know they lootin’ and they shootin’, sneakin’ round the place
A Taliban mask, it’s a natural disgrace
Hold, hold ‘em Joe don’t let’em go
Before they’re done the turistas will be gone, a puff of smoke left in their place

Nowhere in this big world more tranquilo, than on your boat by a dock under stars up in Port Royal
But even there things can quickly change from calm to thunder, in a blink of an eye it’s either you or him have to fall
From an island where people lived with doors unlocked and windows open
To a hot spot for tourists who come here to dive and to play
Bad guys are many and they prey on those so unsuspecting,
Tiene que cuidar tu vida, ese yo se

And I say hold, hold ‘em Joe, don’t let’em go, …. repeat

Not too many want to sign up to be judge and jury
But the way the system is to protect your life and limb you better think
If the worst were to happen and you have to do the deed you better hurry
You never had a choice but the choice you gotta make is make it sink

And I say hold, hold’em Joe……. repeat

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