We Are The People Our Parents Warned Us About

(album: One Particular Harbour - 1983)

I was supposed to have been a Jesuit priest or a Naval Academy grad
That was the way that my parents perceived me
Those were the plans that they had
Though I couldn't fit the part too dumb or too smart
Ain't it funny how we all turned out
I guess we are the people our parents warned us about

You know I could have worked the rigs when the money was big
Or hopped a freighter south to Trinidad
And when they tried to draft me I earned a college degree
Buying time till things were not so bad
But when I got a guitar found a job in a bar, playing acid rock til I was numb
Tell me where are the flashbacks they all warned us would come.

We are the people they couldn't figure out
We are the people our parents warned us about

Hey hey, Gardner McKay, take us on the leaky Tiki with you
Clear skies bound for Shanghai, sailing on the ocean blue

Now I got quarters in my loafers trying to fight inflation
When it only used to take a cent
Sometimes I wish I was back in my crashpad days before I knew what cash flow meant

Seems everybody's jogging or heavy into health shit
Don't tell me that I ought to get rolffed

'Cause I love cajun martinis and playing afternoon golf

We are the people there isn't any doubt
We are the people they still can't figure out
We are the people who love to sing "Twist and Shout"
(Shake it up, Baby now)
We are the people our parents warned us about.