Beneath the palm trees
See them wave like flags in the warm breeze
They paved up the promised land
And gave us the backstreets

Breathe in the bus fumes
Aphrodisiac, a gift from the tycoons
Who Cadillac through the human boomtown
Here in the backstreets

This ain't no ignorant bliss and no one expects it
This ain't easy street yet and no one forgets it

LIVING IN THE BACKSTREETS, BABY
LIVING IN THE BACKSTREETS, GIRL
LIVING IN THE BACKSTREETS, BABY
IT'S A BACKSTREET WORLD
LIVING IN THE BACKSTREETS, BABY
LIVING IN THE BACKSTREETS NOW
LIVING IN THE BACKSTREETS, BABY
LIVING AND LOVIN' SOMEHOW

Oh the drunks tilt
Down the big boulevards that the banks built
Say your thanks and forget your guilt
Hey this is the backstreets

National fascination
With the footage of the smashing of oppression
Cashing in with a big success
But not for the backstreets

Oh, this ain't no limbo of souls, but no one expects it
This ain't no boulevard of gold, and no one forgets it

Those ivory towers
The ones that point like guns up in downtown
Shoot the stars and they'll win some wars
But not in the backstreets

Up in the think-tanks
They must be jumping in and drowning like tame rats
Never wondering what's keeping love alive
In the backstreets

This ain't no ignorant bliss and no one expects it
This ain't easy street yet and no one forgets it