Beneath the palm trees
See them wave like flags in the warm breeze
They paved up the promised land
And gave us the backstreets
Breathe in the bus fumes
Aphrodisiac, a gift from the tycoons
Who Cadillac through the human boomtown
Here in the backstreets
This ain't no ignorant bliss and no one expects it
This ain't easy street yet and no one forgets it
LIVING IN THE BACKSTREETS, BABY
LIVING IN THE BACKSTREETS, GIRL
LIVING IN THE BACKSTREETS, BABY
IT'S A BACKSTREET WORLD
LIVING IN THE BACKSTREETS, BABY
LIVING IN THE BACKSTREETS NOW
LIVING IN THE BACKSTREETS, BABY
LIVING AND LOVIN' SOMEHOW
Oh the drunks tilt
Down the big boulevards that the banks built
Say your thanks and forget your guilt
Hey this is the backstreets
National fascination
With the footage of the smashing of oppression
Cashing in with a big success
But not for the backstreets
Oh, this ain't no limbo of souls, but no one expects it
This ain't no boulevard of gold, and no one forgets it
Those ivory towers
The ones that point like guns up in downtown
Shoot the stars and they'll win some wars
But not in the backstreets
Up in the think-tanks
They must be jumping in and drowning like tame rats
Never wondering what's keeping love alive
In the backstreets
This ain't no ignorant bliss and no one expects it
This ain't easy street yet and no one forgets it
