A Dip in the Ocean

It’s you and me on a beach
In 1998
Leaning into the breeze
From the willows
And rhythm and grace are reborn in this place
I’m assured the procedure is painless
The taxicab with no brakes
Around the mountain pass
Keep your head in your hands
If anybody asks
What you mean when you were picking a fight
You were only complimenting the waitress
Give us a room with a mountain view
A tiny cabana by the water
Yeah, by the water
And I got a rental for an hour or two
For a ride up the coast and a dip in the ocean
The waterfront is alight
With citronella flame
Tourists flashing the night
From the grottoes
And gathering now on the heel-worn planks
For a drunken promenade or a mambo
And lovers paddle a boat
On the molten bay
Veering into the reeds
On a ripple
And playing it cool in a bar by the pool
With a Caribbean Kiss Amaretto
Give us a room with a mountain view
A tiny cabana by the water
Yeah, by the water
And I got a rental for an hour or two
For a ride up the coast and a dip in the ocean
Get a load of the light in the trees
And the sweet decay on the maritime breeze
The sun’s hitching on a weather balloon
And the heat off the tarmac
Burning a hole in a gold afternoon
Give us a room with a mountain view
A tiny cabana by the water
Yeah, by the water
And I got a rental for an hour or two
And a bottle in a cooler
Maps and a big brown towel
It’s a beater but today will do For a ride up the coast and a dip in the ocean