We Dance

There is an island where rivers run deep. Where the sea sparkling in the sun Earns it the name "Jewel of the Antilles" An island where the poorest of peasants labor And the wealthiest of Grand Hommes play Two different worlds on one island. The Grand Hommes, with their pale brown skin and their French ways Owners of the land and masters of their own fates And the peasants, black as night Eternally at the mercy of the wind and the sea Who pray constantly to the gods Asaka, grow me a garden Please, Agwe, don't flood my garden Erzulie, who will my love be? Papa Ge, don't come around me Ah, such powerful, such temperamental gods rule our island! Asaka, mother of the earth Agwe, god of water Erzulie, beautiful goddess of love And Papa Ge, sly demon of death! Asaka, grow me a garden Please, Agwe, don't flood my garden Erzulie, who will my love be? Papa Ge, don't come around me Please, Agwe, don't flood my garden Asaka, grow me a garden We dance We dance To the music of the gods The music of the breezes through the green plantain The murmur of the river and the roar of rain And if the gods decide to send a hurricane We dance We dance To their everchanging moods We know the gods are happy when the green things grow They're angry when the river starts to overflow And since we never know which way the winds will go We dance to the earth We dance to the water The gods awake and we take no chance Our hearts hear the song Our feet move along And to the music of the gods, we dance On the other side of this island, Safe behind high walls and iron gates, The grand hommes dance to a different tune. La la la la la la la la They drink champagne and entertain tourists in their fine hotels And tell their servants, "Polish up the Mercedes!" La la la la la la la la Two different worlds Never meant to meet The peasants labor The grand hommes eat How fine our clothes are! (We dance) How fast we drive! (We dance) We dance at parties While we are dancing just to stay alive We dance We dance What else is there to do But plant the seed and pull the weed and chop the cane? And bear the child and bear the load and bear the pain? And as the rich go racing to their own refrain We dance to the earth We dance to the water The gods awake and we take no chance Our hearts hear the song Our feet move along And to the music of the gods, we dance To the earth We dance to the water The gods awake and we take no chance Two different worlds (ooh-la) Never meant to meet (ooh-la) But if the gods move our feet... We dance We dance We dance