She came from providence, the one in Rhode Island,
Where the old world shadows hang, heavy in the air,
She packed her hopes and dreams, like a refugee,
Just as her father came, across the sea,
She heard about a place, people were smiling,
And spoke about the red man's way,
And how they loved the land,
They came from everywhere, to the great divide,
Seeking a place to stay, or a place to hide,
Down in the crowded bars, out for a good time,
Can't wait to tell you all, what it's like up there,
They called it paradise, I don't know why,
Somebody laid the mountains over,
While the town got high,
Then the chilly winds blew down, across the desert,
Through the canyons of the coast, to the Malibu,
Were the pretty people play, hungry for power,
To light their neon ways, give 'em things to do,
Some rich men came and raped the land, nobody caught 'em,
Put up a bunch of ugly boxes and Jesus, people bought 'em,
They called it paradise, the place to be,
We watched the hazy sun sinking in the sea,
We can leave it all behind, and sail to Lahaina,
Just like the missionaries did, so many years ago,
They even brought a neon sign, and it said, "Jesus is coming"
Brought the white man's burden down,
Brought the white mans reign,
Who will provide the grand design?
What is yours and what is mine?
Cause there is no more new frontier, we have got to make it here,
To satisfy our endless needs, and justify our bloody deeds,
In the name of destiny, and in the name of God
And you can see them there, on Sunday morning,
Stand up and sing about what it's like up there,
They called it paradise, I don't know why,
Call some place paradise, kiss it goodbye