Hothouse Flowers

Song of Ecuador

Hothouse Flowers


Spoke to a girl of Spanish descent
Spoke of a town in Ecuador
The policeman shoot the children dead
Cause the tourists don't like to see the poor

I stare at her in disbelief
The horror is shining in my eyes
What I've seen brutalised on TV
People don't seem to be surprised anymore
We earn, they earn and we put in the banks
Talk nicely to the girl standing at the till
Do our business, say 'goodbye and thanks'
She says 'you all come back now, hear'
We say 'we will'

I'm just a singer
Not a political man
And I thank God that that's what I am
I try and comment when I feel I should
I don't know if that is bad or good