Winter's voice had barely spoken
(Everyone was bummed and broken
Hangin' on to threads the way we do
Shielding eyes from TV screens
With African starvation scenes
And photographs in magazines
Of things that can't seem true.

Oh, paradise in troubled waters
Situation grim
And we the reckless sons and daughters
Spread the luck so thin
Oh, the gross results and chain reaction
Too late understood
Leave us in embarrassed silence
Wishing that we could
Make the difference, see the light
Carry the flag, lead the fight
Save the whales, save the seals
Save the trees and birds and fields
And save each other.

So we read the news with helpless eyes
And look for ways to compromise
But mostly we just do the best we can
Is it just a part of what we are
To want too much and go too far
And contemplate with no regard
What we don't understand.

Oh, paradise in troubled waters
Situation grim
And we the reckless sons and daughters
Spread the luck so thin
Oh, the gross results and chain reaction
Too late understood
Leave us in embarrassed silence
Wishing that we could
Make the difference, see the light
Carry the flag, lead the fight
Save the whales, save the seals
Save the trees and birds and fields
And save each other.

Oh, paradise in troubled waters...