Santo Domingo

And the crabs are crazy, they scuttle back and forth

The sand is burning

And the fish take flight and scatter from the sight

Their courses turning

As the seagulls rest on the cold cannon nest

The sea is churning

The marines have landed on the shores

Of Santo Domingo

The fishermen sweat, they're pausing at their nets

The day's a-burning

As the warships sway and thunder in the bay

Loud the morning

But the boy on the shore is throwing pebbles no more

He runs a-warning

That the the marines have landed on the shores

Of Santo Domingo

The streets are still, there's silence in the hills

The town is sleeping

And the farmers yawn in the gray silver dawn

The fields they're keeping

As the first troops land and step into the sand

The flags are weaving

The marines have landed on the shores

Of Santo Domingo

The unsmiling sun is shining down upon

The singing soldiers

In the cloud dust whirl they whistle at the girls

They're getting bolder

The old women sigh, think of memories gone by

They shrug their shoulders

The marines have landed on the shores

Of Santo Domingo

Ready for the tricks, their bayonets are fixed

Now they are rolling

And the tanks make tracks past the trembling shacks

Where fear is unfolding

All the young wives afraid, turn their backs on the parade

With babes they're holding

The marines have landed on the shores

Of Santo Domingo

A bullet cracks the sound, the army hit the ground

The sniper is callin'

So they open their guns, a thousand to one

No sense in stalling

He clutches at his head and totters on the edge

Look how he's falling

The marines have landed on the shores

Of Santo Domingo

In the red plaza square, the crowds come to stare

The heat is leaning

And the eyes of the dead are turning every head

To the widows screaming

But the soldiers make a bid, giving candy to the kids

Their teeth are gleaming

The marines have landed on the shores

Of Santo Domingo

Up and down the coed, the generals drink a toast

The wheel is spinning

And the cowards and the whores are peeking

Through the doors to see who's winning

But the traitors will pretend that it's getting near the end

When it's beginning

The marines have landed on the shores

Of Santo Domingo

And the crabs are crazy, they scuttle back and forth

The sand is burning

And the fish take flight and scatter from the sight

Their courses turning

As the seagulls rest on the cold cannon nest

The sea is churning

The marines have landed on the shores

Of Santo Domingo