My friend and I just couldn't find our way back home
Late at night in New York City
It rained and I was cold and we were all alone
Frightened as two girls can be
Well, my friend found herself a ride with a friend of hers
And a yellow cab stopped at me
He was a taxi driver with the big red eyes
Guess he couldn't get no sleep
I told him I was going to the Lower East Side
And this is what he said to me
"What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?"

Well, he was sick, that guy, and I can tell you why
You won't believe what he had done that day
Some guys who were in a bar
They came close to his car
What he did, was hit and run away
'Cause driving in the dark
Different colors he saw
And those were not his favorite colors at all

(Welcome to the melting pot that never quile melts
Where the politicians prosper white we tighten our belts
And they talk an awful lot about brotherly love
But when the nitty meets the gritty it's brotherly shove)

Well, we were moving on
He said "Where are you from?"
And I decided not to tell the truth
'Cause if I say to this guy that I'm from South America
Maybe he will hit me too
I said "I'm European, let me pay for the ride"
And safe and sound I could arrive to the Lower East Side

(Yeah, I know just what you're talking about
You're in New York City and might wanna get out
You bend the truth a little but you really don't lie
There's a lot of artful dodgin' while you're trying to
get by)

Eu já estive em Ipanema, na Rocinha, em Madureira
Corcovado, São Conrado etc. e tal
Nasci e fui criada lá em Copacabana
E nunca aconteceu comigo nada de mal
Agora que eu nem mesmo tô no Rio de Janeiro
Eu quero o meu comportamento normal
Tá legal, tá legal!

"What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?"

That seems to be the question of my entire life
In this planet, as it is
Whenever I'm in trouble, I will say to myself
"Now you gotta handle this...
'Cause what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?