The Four of Us

Sitting 'round a fireplace
We drew a smile across the states
We packed a truck with all our stuff
And four of us
Two to drive and two to sleep
Wrapped up in a rainbow sheet
And in the front my love will keep me
On the road and laughing

On our way we met a man
With healer-boxer-sculptor's hands
We love him cause he understands
The four of us
Time, time with him was time in school
Sitting in the backyard
Teaching from his box of rusty tools
And he could talk such magic
At his clear-eyed eighty-five
And just when you thought you got the picture
He'd show you the joke inside
"Yeah," he said, "The joke's on you!"
"You don't even know where you're going to!"

So, further south our truck stops ran
To see the singing dolphin man
And pancakes from a frying pan
For four of us
Somewhere there we got a brand new scheme
Further south were islands
Like the kind you see in dreams
We left the truck and all our stuff
And we skipped across the sea
To emerald pools in paradise
For four of us

Dominica
Dominica
Oh, what I'd give for just a week in Dominica
I'd give anything
Oh, what I'd give for just a week in Dominica
I said, "Hey, Misses breadfruit lady?"
"Do you have a papaya maybe?"
I said, "Hey, Misses ice cream lady?"
This year she said she's got strawberry
Ah, Dominica
Dominica
Oh, what I'd give for just a week in Dominica
I'd give anything
Oh, what I'd give for just a week in Dominica
(Let me hear you say)
(Dominica, Dominica)
(Oh, I'd give anything)
(Oh, Dominica)
(Oh, let me hear you say)
(Dominica)
What I'd give for just a week in Dominica
(Dominica, Dominica)
(Let me hear you say)
(Dominica, Dominica)
(I'd give anything for just a week, anything)
(What I'd give! Anything, anything for just a week in Dominica!)
(I'd give anything!)

Back across the ocean floor
The four of us were ripe for more
Paradise was nice but then
You can't stay there forever
Mmh, we was rollin' on up the beach
Tracing that smile from cheek-to-cheek
New Orleans was our next stop
When rolling up
Here come the cops
And the county jail had lovely cots
For four of us

Where are you, Lashes LaRue
Going to keep me waiting, honey
Saw your smile right outside
The Basin Street bus station
I was stoned, far from home
Diggin' where it isn't
I was mailing kilo bags
To my friends in prison
As I was splitting she was sitting out front in the purple flowers
Yeah, she knocked me dead
I was breathless
But we talked nonstop for an hour
Yeah, when up behind me come a voice and a great big hand
He said, "We opened up your mail now you're going to the slam."
I'm as far away from Lashes
As a foreign power
Oh, where are you, Lashes LaRue
You're making me impatient, honey
Saw your smile right outside
The Basin Street bus station
Well your daddy was a carny
And your mommy was a fortune teller
They used to brew up the bootleg beer
Down in the cellar
Yeah, but I got caught on a modern crime
I was smoking dynamite
Now I'm serving my time
If you see Lashes LaRue
You've just got to tell her
Oh, where are you, Lashes LaRue
Going to keep me waiting, honey
Saw your smile right outside
The Basin Street bus station

Mississippi Delta and we crossed New Mexico
And I remember how I held her
As the desert turned to gold
And I remember every time
We stopped that dusty truck
And stood together wondering
Is it all here for us?
Yeah, you know I think it is
You better go on up and tell your kids
I can feel a question as we wandered down the road
Asking how us how far away from life we wanna go
Looking for a place to be alone
It led us to a foothill town the roadmap didn't show
Redwing, Colorado
Taught me a thing or two
About you
And just what you could do
Redwing, Colorado
Isn't the kind of place you'd go to
Just for fun
Just a lonely general store
That's been bleached out in the sun
But Redwing was a teacher
It was like she had a voice
You'd be surprised how much you learn
Once you've got no choice
And we were learning how to get along
Redwing, Colorado
Showed us just how much is really
Unimpaired
Clear and country air
On a farm in Redwing
We lived from day to day
Making do for us
Just the two of us
Making do for us
Just the two of us

Yeah, and it sure felt good
But we were getting lonely and heading for Hollywood
Every place was more to sing
But I can't tell you everything
Yeah, we finally made it home
And now the family's on it's own
And babies come and numbers grow
There's more of us
Gee, we really miss those times
Seeing through each others eyes
Sure was nice
So here's a little traveling song
Of talk that comes from dusk till dawn
Go and see and pass it on
Lest you miss it
Lest it's gone
Every lover keep your driver
On the road and laughing