Lyrics
There's trouble on the street tonight
I can feel it in my bones
I had a premonition that he should not go alone
I knew the gun was loaded
But I didn't think he'd kill
Everything exploded, and the blood began to spill
So baby, here's your ticket
Put the suitcase in your hand
Here's a little money now
Do it just the way we planned
You be cool for 20 hours, and I'll pay you 20 grand
I'm sorry it went down like this, and someone had to lose
It's the nature of the business, it's the smuggler's blues
Smuggler's blues
The sailors and pilots, the soldiers and the law
The payoffs and the rip-offs, and the things nobody saw
No matter if it's heroin, cocaine or hash
You've got to carry weapons 'cause you always carry cash
There's lots of shady characters, lots of dirty deals
Every name's an alias in case somebody squeals
It's the lure of easy money, it's got a very strong appeal
Perhaps you'd understand it better standin' in my shoes
It's the ultimate enticement, it's the smuggler's blues
Smuggler's blues
You see it in the headlines, you hear it every day
They say they're gonna stop it, but it doesn't go away
They move it through Miami, sell it in LA
They hide it up in Telluride, I mean it's here to stay
It's propping up the governments in Colombia and Peru
You ask any D.E.A. man, he'll say, "There's nothin' we can do"
From the office of the president
Right down to me and you, me and you
It's a losing proposition, but one you can't refuse
It's the politics of contraband, it's the smuggler's blues
Smuggler's blues