There's trouble on the street tonight I can feel it in my bones I had a premonition that He should not go alone I knew the gun was loaded But I didn't think he'd kill Everything exploded And the blood began to spill So, baby Here's your ticket Put the suitcase in your hand Here's a little money now Do it just the way we planned You be cool for twenty hours And I'll pay you twenty grand I'm sorry it went down like this Someone had to lose It's the nature of the business It's the smuggler's blues Smuggler's blues The sailors and the pilots The soldiers and the law The payoffs and the ripoffs And the things nobody saw No matter if it's heroin Cocaine or hash You've got to carry weapons Cause you always carry cash There's lots of shady characters Lots of dirty deals Every name's an alias In case somebody squeals It's the lure of easy money It's gotta very strong appeal Perhaps you'd understand it better Standing in my shoes It's the ultimate enticement It's the smuggler's blues Smuggler's blues See it in the headlines You hear it every day They say they're gonna stop it But it doesn't go away They move it through Miami Sell it in L.A They hide it up in Telluride I mean it's here to stay It's propping up the governments Of Columbia and Peru You ask any DEA man He'll say there's nothing we can do From the office of the President Right down To me and you Me and you It's a losing proposition But one you can't refuse It's the politics of contraband It's the smuggler's blues Smuggler's blues