|
Across from the prison and beside the great lake |
|
Below the rooftops and above the highway |
|
The spirits pay rent on the basements they haunt |
|
And the painters just draw pictures of the things that they want |
|
I cook my dinner on the black top street |
|
I come from the nation of heat |
|
Outside the train station there's a bold painted sign |
|
It says try to be patient, don't forget to choose sides |
|
We got the loudest explosions you ever heard |
|
We got two dollar soldiers and ten dollar words |
|
If I didn't own boots I wouldn't need feet |
|
I come from the nation of heat |
|
So swift and so vicious are the carnival rides |
|
And the carnival barker will yell your name for a bribe |
|
We got billboards for love and Japanese cars |
|
It ain't rare to hear the street lights call themselves stars |
|
The more that I learn the more that I cheat |
|
I come from the nation of heat |
|
I seen skeleton mothers and hungry folks |
|
Across the street from the kitchens that cook dinner the most |
|
Sometimes you hear whispers by the dark of the moon |
|
That we promised too much and gave it too soon |
|
Even our coughs and our fevers compete |
|
I come from the nation of heat |
|
Blockin' borders with smiles are immigrant sons |
|
We measure loneliness in miles and misery in tons |
|
There's a straw-hatted man rowin' away from the shore |
|
Who says it's a shame they don't let you have slaves here anymore |
|
I'm the ugliest man that you'll ever meet |
|
I come from the nation of heat |
