Oh, when they beat upon a broken guitar
And all the streets, they reek of tropical charms
The embassies lie in hideous shards
Where tourists snore and decay

When they dance in a reptile blaze
You wear a mask, an equatorial haze
Into the past, a colonial maze
Where there's no more confetti to throw

You wouldn't know what to say to yourself
Love is a poverty you couldn't sell
Misery waits in vague hotels
To be evicted

You're out of luck, you're singing funeral songs
To the studs, they're anabolic and bronze
They seem to strut in their millennial fogs
'Til they fall down and deflate

You wouldn't know what to say to yourself
Love is a poverty you couldn't sell
Misery waits in vague hotels
To be evicted

Oh, and now, you've had your fun
Under an air-conditioned sun
It's burned into your eyes
Leaves you plain and left behind
I'll see them rise and fall
Into the jaws of a pestilent love

You wouldn't know what to say to yourself
Love is a poverty you couldn't sell
Misery waits in vague hotels
To be a victim


Lyrics submitted by Ice

Tropicalia Lyrics as written by Beck Hansen

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Tropicalia song meanings
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19 Comments

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  • +2
    General Comment

    There are enough mistakes there for me to suggest someone change it to this:

    Oh when they beat upon a broken guitar And on the streets they reek of tropical charms The embassies lie in hideous shards Where tourists snore and decay

    And when they dance in a reptile blaze You wear a mask an equatorial haze Into the past a colonial maze Where there's no more confetti to throw

    You wouldn't know what to say to yourself Love is a poverty you couldn't sell Misery waits in vague hotels to be evicted

    You're out of luck, you're singing funeral songs To the studs, they're anabolic and bronze They seem to strut, in their millennial fog Till they fall down and deflate

    You wouldn't know what to say to yourself Love is a poverty you couldn't sell Misery waits in vague hotels to be evicted

    Oh and now you've had your fun Under an air-conditioned sun It's burned into your eyes Leaves you plain and left behind I see them rise and fall Into the jaws of a pestilent love

    You wouldn't know what to say to yourself Love is a poverty you couldn't sell Misery waits in vague hotels to be evicted

    TheFranzFerdinandon December 30, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    yea, this song is great.. i love it. but i must agree, that movie sucked!

    angelleon June 16, 2002   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Beck is so versatile, and my friend doesn't understand why I have so many Beck cd's in my cd case. It's because Beck has so many different types of songs, so you can never get tired of him. And he's still making more cds. So you can't lose with Beck.

    subterranean_summeron May 21, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    fabulous song - its like he's totally absorbed a latin style but given it his own mutation - evocative of a post-industrial tourist resort in central america where a hapless musician has been drawn by a paycheck and where he absorbs the ennui. and the lyrics span everything from post-colonial tourist economies to their effect on the individual as one of purposelessness and deflation. Beck has always skated close to a depressive's outlook; but the humour and intelligence of his music and lyrics rescue him from that and make the disappointment and failure so much more interesting. viva la beck.

    clareakon October 19, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    great song...it was in the movie "heartbreakers" not a good movie...but it was made better with beck.

    weezerific:cutleryon January 27, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Love this song. Absolutely. All of Beck's Latin songs are excellent. I like how he has assimilated all these musical styles into his repertoire. It makes his albums infinitely listenable - there are Beck songs for every mood, and you can go through all of his albums and never get sick of him because of all the differences.

    comrade_paton June 22, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    quica= the coolest instrument ever!!! beck is soooo incredibly talented and versatile!

    brown_polyesteron December 22, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i must agree that this song is great, and how Beck is able to adapt diferent styles in music and to stick with the same formula. By the way, the movie sucked big time

    deftorafaon January 19, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I agree that part of Beck's appeal is his versatiliy, he can pull off so many different sounds and styles. Anyway, I love this song. I'm not really sure what it means to be honest.

    neighbourhoodpoweron October 03, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I agree, Beck is an adaptable artist and you definetly can't lose with him. Anyway, I interpreted this part of the song:

    to the studs they're anabolic and bronze they seem to strut in their millennial fogs 'til they fall down and deflate

    When I heard these lyrics I thought of pompous jocky/ atheletic guys on steroids (hence the anabolic) flaunting theirselves while they're young (millenial fogs?) until they get older and lose their physique ('til they fall down and deflate). I dunno'.

    SINKINGx3HEARTSon January 15, 2006   Link

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