A brown-skin girl wipes the suit from her window   Just to watch the sun rise over big city skies   Her falther awakes "Cuffs" lights his first cigarette   You know he's got to go when that factory whistle blows  So he walks out into the streets  And all of his friends that he meets  Wonder why did they ever leave their sunny island    The wind blows cold with it brings the snows   You live in hand to mouth next winter you move South   If your number falls or if you work those extra hours   But you only live in a dream   That carries you back on its wings   And all your friends just sit around the bar   And sing about your sunny island    And there ain't no surf  It's the sidewalks on 42nd street  And the natives down there  They ain't so friendly  In fact they would stick you  For the shoes on your feet  Just make you want to retreat  To your sunny island    The traffic eats the streets you're running from the heat   That keeps coming down pushing you into the ground  You're learning far too late your children learn to hate   The way you live but you got nomore to give   And in dockland they still arrive   With promised land in their eyes   And you just wish you could live out your life   On your sunny island    And there ain't no surf  It's the sidewalks on 42nd street  And the natives down there  They ain't so friendly  In fact they would stick you  For the shoes on your feet  Just make you want to retreat  To your sunny island