Caribbean Wind (Studio Outtake - 1981)

She was the Rose of Sharon from paradise lost
From the city of seven hills near the place of the cross
I was playing a show in Miami, in the theatre of divine comedy
Told her 'bout Jesus, told her 'bout the rain
She told me about the jungle where her brothers were slain
By the man who had been dying' then disappeared so mysteriously
Was she a child or an angel? Did we go too far?
Were we sniper bait? Did we follow a star
To a hole in the wall to where the long arm of the law cannot reach
Could I have been used and played as a pawn?
It certainly was possible as the gay night wore on
Where men bathed in perfume and practised the hopes of free speech

And them Caribbean winds still blow
From Nassau to Mexico
Fanning the flames in the furnace of desire
And them distant ships of liberty
On them iron waves, so bold and free
Bringing everything that's dear to me nearer to the fire

Sea breeze blowing, there's a hellhound loose
Bringing men who have escaped from the noose
Patience, faith and salvation, waiting on the night to arrive
He was well-connected, but her heart was a snare
And she had left him to die in there
He was going down slow, just bet he's penalized
The cry of the peacock, flies buzzing my head
Ceiling fan broken, there's a heat in my bed
Street band playing, "Nearer, My God, To Thee"
We met at the station where the mission bells ring
She said, "I know what you're thinking, but there ain't a thing"
"You can do about it, so let us just agree to agree"

And them Caribbean winds still blow
From Nassau to Mexico
Fanning the flames on the furnace of desire
And them distant ships of liberty
On them iron waves, so bold and free
Bringing everything that's dear to me nearer to the fire

Atlantic City by the cold grey sea
Hear a voice crying, daddy, I always think it's for me
But it's only the silence in the buttermilk hills that call
Every new messenger brings an evil report
'Bout armies on the march and time that is short
And famines and earthquakes and train wrecks and the tearing down of the walls
Did you ever have a dream that you couldn't explain?
Ever meet your accusers face to face in the rain?
She had rum-brown eyes that I won't forget as long as she's gone
I see the screws breaking loose, see the Devil pounding on tin
I see a house in the country being torn apart from within
I can hear my ancestors calling from the land far beyond

And them Caribbean winds still blow
From Nassau to Mexico
Fanning the flames in the furnace of desire
And them distant ships of liberty
On them iron waves, so bold and free
Bringing everything that's dear to me nearer to the fire