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Postcards From Paraguay Lyrics
One thing was leading to the next
I bit off more than I could chew
I had the power to sign the cheques
It wasn’t difficult to do
I couldn’t stay and face the music
So many reasons why
I won’t be sending postcards
From Paraguay
I robbed a bank full of dinero
A great big mountain of dough
So it was goodbye companero
And cheerio
I couldn’t stay and face the music
So many reasons why
I won’t be sending postcards
From paraguay
I never meant to be a cheater
But there was blood on the wall
I had to steal from peter
To pay what I owed to paul
I couldn’t stay and face the music
So many reasons why
I won’t be sending postcards
From paraguay
I bit off more than I could chew
I had the power to sign the cheques
It wasn’t difficult to do
I couldn’t stay and face the music
So many reasons why
I won’t be sending postcards
From Paraguay
A great big mountain of dough
So it was goodbye companero
And cheerio
I couldn’t stay and face the music
So many reasons why
I won’t be sending postcards
From paraguay
But there was blood on the wall
I had to steal from peter
To pay what I owed to paul
I couldn’t stay and face the music
So many reasons why
I won’t be sending postcards
From paraguay
Song Info
Submitted by
redmax On Oct 04, 2004
More Mark Knopfler
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I think this song is about Albert Spagiaro (not sure about the spelling) whom masterminded a bank heist though the sewers in Nice France in the mid 70's. He was arrested but escaped and was rumored to have gone to ground in Paraguay. He was famous for sending postcards to the French authorities saying "Bonjour from Albert". There is a good book about this called "Under the Streets of Nice" by Ken Follett.
I like the cheery, sunshine-filled tune, in obvious contrast with the lyrics.
A lot of MK's songs are based on reality, but this one seems too vague to pin down to any event or person. Might it be something to do with Enron?
Unlikely to be Kenneth Lay and Enron, seeing as how his death (or faked death and exile to Paraguay) was in 2006 and this album was released in 2004.
Unlikely to be Kenneth Lay and Enron, seeing as how his death (or faked death and exile to Paraguay) was in 2006 and this album was released in 2004.
“ “Postcards From Paraguay”: I imagined some errant individual doing a runner with the stolen loot. Someone suggested to me recently that the album is partly about the honest toiler versus those who thrive on ill-gotten gains. Perhaps the subject has been more on my mind in these days of corporate crime.” Source: http://www.odabasi.net/shangri-la.htm
“ “Postcards From Paraguay”: I imagined some errant individual doing a runner with the stolen loot. Someone suggested to me recently that the album is partly about the honest toiler versus those who thrive on ill-gotten gains. Perhaps the subject has been more on my mind in these days of corporate crime.” Source: http://www.odabasi.net/shangri-la.htm
“ “Postcards From Paraguay”: I imagined some errant individual doing a runner with the stolen loot. Someone suggested to me recently that the album is partly about the honest toiler versus those who thrive on ill-gotten gains. Perhaps the subject has been more on my mind in these days of corporate crime.” Source: http://www.odabasi.net/shangri-la.htm
Great song, great music - I think the lyric is about a bookkeeper for a company. This person has "bite off more than they can chew" in their personal life and they have had to steal money from the company. They have to steal from Peter to pay Paul. This person, however, was able to escape to Paraguay. There will be no postcards from Paraguay because they are not on vacation, they are hiding and do not wish to be to be found. Basically, this is a song about white collar crime.