| THE LAST RESORT | |||||||||||||||||
| Written by Don Henley, Glenn Frey Performed by the Eagles |
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| She came from Providence,
The one in Rhode Island Where the old world shadows hang Heavy in the air She packed her hopes and dreams Like a refugee Just as her father came across the sea She heard about a place people were smilin They spoke about the red mans way, And how they loved the land And they came from everywhere To the great divide Seeking a place to stand Or a place to hide Down in the crowded bars, Out for a good time, Cant wait to tell you all, What its like up there And they called it paradise I dont know why Somebody laid the mountains low While the town got high Then the chilly winds blew down Across the desert Through the canyons of the coast, to The Malibu Where the pretty people play, Hungry for power To light their neon way And give them things to do Some rich men came and raped the land, Nobody caught em Put up a bunch of ugly boxes, and Jesus, People bought em And they called it paradise The place to be They watched the hazy sun, sinking in the sea You can leave it all behind And sail to Lahaina Just like the missionaries did, so many years ago They even brought a neon sign: Jesus is coming Brought the white mans burden down Brought the white mans reign Who will provide the grand design? What is yours and what is mine? 'cause there is no more new frontier We have got to make it here We satisfy our endless needs and Justify our bloody deeds, In the name of destiny And in the name of God And you can see them there, On Sunday morning They stand up and sing about What its like up there They call it paradise I dont know why You call someplace paradise, Then kiss it goodbye. |
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| Hotel California is one of the albums that defined the 1970's fusion of pop, country, and rock. The Last Resort is my favorite among some very, very good songs. It is reminiscent of the sentiment expressed in Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi", but with more more sophistication, and with music that echoes the sense of loss in the lyrics. The lyrics are among the best poetry from that era. The reference to Manifest Destiny is a chilling reminder of our ability to rationalize doing exactly what we please, no matter what it costs others, or ultimately, our future selves. The picture is one I took of a sunset from the beach in Lahaina. |
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