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