I never fight to take someone else’s coins
And live with fear like the rest of the boys
[Chorus]
Paraiso, help me make a stand
Paraiso, take me by the hand
Paraiso, make the world understand
[Refrain 1]
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
[Interlude]
[Refrain 2]
And if empty cans were all I have
What a joy! Play this song
[Verse 1]
Return to a land called Paraiso
A place where a dying river ends
No birds dare fly over Paraiso
No space allows them to endure
The smoke that screens the air
The grass that’s never there
[Refrain 1]
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
[Verse 2]
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 colds
[Refrain 2]
And if empty cans were all I have
What a joy! This tired and hungry land could expect
Some truth and hope and respect
From the rest
[Outro]
That if I could see a single bird
What a joy! I never fight to take someone else’s coins
And live with fear like the rest of the boys
[Chorus]
Paraiso, help me make a stand
Paraiso, take me by the hand
Paraiso, make the world understand
[Refrain 1]
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 This tired and hungry land could expect
Some truth and hope and respect
From the rest of the world
[Chorus]
Paraiso, help me make a stand
Paraiso, take me by the hand
Paraiso, make the world understand
[Refrain 1]
That if I could see a single bird
What a joy!