We Dance

We Dance - Once on This Island Ensemble

Lyricist：Lynn Ahrens

Composer：Stephen Flaherty

Arranger：Stephen Flaherty

Producer：Jay David Saks

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 grands hommes play

Two different worlds on one island

The grands hommes

With their pale brown skins 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

Aah 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 their winds will blow

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 grands hommes dance to a different tune

La la la la la la la la

They drink champagne

Entertain tourists at 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 grands hommes eat

How fine our clothes are

How fast we drive

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 w**d

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