Paraiso

Return to a land called paraiso
A place where a dying river ends
No birds there fly over paraiso
No space allows them to endure
The smoke that screens the air
The grass that's never there

And if I could see a single bird, what a joy
I try to write some words and create
A simple song to be heard
By the rest of the world

I live in this land called paraiso
In a house made of cardboard floors and walls
I learned to be free in paraiso
Free to claim anything I see
Matching rags for my clothes
Plastic bags for the cold

And if empty cans were all I have, what a joy
I never fight to take someone
Else's coins and live with fear
Like the rest of the boys

Paraiso, help me make a stand
Paraiso, take me by the hand
Paraiso, make the world understand
That if I could see a single bird, what a joy
This tired and hungry land could expect
Some truth and hope and respect
From the rest of the world