Josie sits by the fire escape window and she
Looks out on her american dream
Weekend boys are working on their cars and the
Streets are smelling of gasoline
Josie tries to write her momma letters and she
Thinks about her man back home
Sends some money back when she can manage and she
Calls once a month from a neighbors phone

And she got
Pretty empty pockets, yeah
And she got
Pretty, empty hands
And she thinks of all the things
She wants to say to him
And she hopes he understands

If this is paradise
Then paradise aint home
If I have to walk away
Then I'll walk away alone
No use living in paradise
When the lights are on and paradise aint home

Josie watches the kids play in the hydrant and she
Smells the cooking from the floors below
Traffic never, ever stops talking and there aint
Nothing to do, no place to go
And she got
A black and white t. v. Don't work
And she got
Laundry on the line
And this three room space still feels out of place
Like she's sleepwalking all the time

If this is paradise
Then paradise aint home
If I have to walk away
Then I'll walk away alone
No use living in paradise
When the lights are on and paradise aint home

Josie hears them fighting on the corner
They've been drinking since friday, noon
3 A. m. And it's too hot for sleeping
Sunday morning is coming soon

And she got
A hard earned case of homesick, yeah
And she got
A bargain with the lord
And she hopes she'll be forgiven
For giving up
But she knows she can't hold on much more

If this is paradise
Then paradise aint home
If I have to walk away
Then I'll walk away alone
It's hard to cross the river wide
When you're sinking like a stone
If this is paradise
Then paradise
Paradise aint home