Tibetan Side of Town (Live) Bruce Cockburn

[Verse 1]
Through rutted winding streets of Kathmandu
Dodging crowded humans cows dogs rickshaws—
Storefronts constellated pools of blue-white
Bright against darkening walls
The butterfly sparkle in my lasered eye
Still seems to hold that last shot of red sun
Through haze over jumbled roofs
Everything moves like slow fluid
In this atmosphere thick as dreams
With sewage, incense, dust and fever
And the smoke of brick kilns and cremations—

[Chorus]
Tom Kelly's bike rumbles down—
We're going drinking on the Tibetan side of town
Tom Kelly's bike rumbles down—
We're going drinking on the Tibetan side of town

[Verse 2]
Beggar with withered legs sits sideways on a skateboard, grinning
There's a joke going on somewhere but we'll never know
Those laughing kids with hungry eyes must be in on it too
With their clinging memories of a culture
Crushed by Chinese greed
Pretty young mother by the temple gate
Covers her baby's face against diesel fumes
That look of concern—you can see it still—
Not yet masked by the hard lines
Of a woman's struggle to survive