Smuggler's Blues

There's trouble on the street tonight
I can feel it in my bones, I had a premonition
That he should not go alone
I knew the gun was loaded
But I didn't think he'd kill
Everything exploded, and the blood began to spill

So baby, here's your ticket
Put the suitcase in your hand, here's a little money now
Do it just the way we planned
You be cool for 20 hours, and I'll pay you 20 grand

I'm sorry it went down like this
And someone had to lose, it's the nature of the business
It's the smuggler's blues
Smuggler's blues

The sailors and pilots, the soldiers and the law
The payoffs and the rip-offs, and the things nobody saw
No matter if it's heroin, cocaine or hash
You've got to carry weapons 'cause you always carry cash

There's lots of shady characters, lots of dirty deals
Every name's an alias in case somebody squeals
It's the lure of easy money, it's got a very strong appeal

Perhaps you'd understand it better
Standin' in my shoes, it's the ultimate enticement
It's the smuggler's blues
Smuggler's blues

You see it in the headlines, you hear it every day
They say they're gonna stop it, but it doesn't go away
They move it through Miami, sell it in LA
They hide it up in Telluride, I mean it's here to stay

It's propping up the governments in Colombia and Peru
You ask any D.E.A. man, he'll say, "There's nothin' we can do"
From the office of the president
Right down to me and you, me and you

It's a losing proposition, but one you can't refuse
It's the politics of contraband
It's the smuggler's blues
Smuggler's blues