Paradise Ain't Home

Josie sits by the fire escape window and she Looks out on her American dream Weekend boys are working on their cars and the Streets are smelling of gasoline Josie tries to write her momma letters and she Thinks about her man back home Sends some money back when she can manage and she Calls once a month from a neighbors phone And she got Pretty empty pockets, yeah And she got Pretty, empty hands And she thinks of all the things She wants to say to him And she hopes he understands If this is paradise Then paradise aint home If I have to walk away Then I'll walk away alone No use living in paradise When the lights are on and paradise aint home Josie watches the kids play in the hydrant and she Smells the cooking from the floors below Traffic never, ever stops talking and there aint Nothing to do, no place to go And she got A black and white t.v. don't work And she got Laundry on the line And this three room space still feels out of place Like she's sleepwalking all the time If this is paradise Then paradise aint home If I have to walk away Then I'll walk away alone No use living in paradise When the lights are on and paradise aint home Josie hears them fighting on the corner They've been drinking since friday, noon 3 a.m. and it's too hot for sleeping Sunday morning is coming soon And she got A hard earned case of homesick, yeah And she got A bargain with the lord And she hopes she'll be forgiven For giving up But she knows she can't hold on much more If this is paradise Then paradise aint home If I have to walk away Then I'll walk away alone It's hard to cross the river wide When you're sinking like a stone If this is paradise Then paradise Paradise aint home