Down in the jungle, you can hear a rumble,
Way up the Himalayas, in a Mexican bodega,
Something is going on,
People are coming, running round the world,
There's no way to avoid them, they're everywhere,
You can see them on the streets of London town;
They've found a tourist attraction,
It's a bobby on the beat,
Yes a tourist attraction,
They're all looking at his feet,
And the blue rinse ladies,
Shooting cameras from the hip,
Doing Europe in two days,
"We've had a wonderful trip!"
And he turns to the Palace,
You can almost hear him say,
"Your Majesty why don't you tell them,
Please go away!"
Tourist attraction, tourist attraction, tourist attraction;
Caribbean island, cool drink in my hand,
Nearest thing to Paradise, the native girls are very nice;
Something is going wrong,
People are coming, running down the beach,
Cameras at the ready, get out of reach,
Time to grab my things, I'm heading for the hills;
They've found a tourist attraction,
Yes my little hideaway,
It's a tourist attraction, it will never be the same,
There's a big bus driver taking money on the side,
"Everybody stick together and please follow the guide,"
And way over yonder, they hear somebody yell,
"I came here for the peace and quiet, y'all go to hell!"
Tourist attraction, tourist attraction, tourist attraction, tourist attraction...
"Well, I remember once watching a TV programme about a remote jungle tribe. They were perfectly happy without civilisation, but civilisation came in and totally wrecked their particular way of life. And then they started flying tourists in - I think it was in Borneo. They created this airstrip, the tourists began to arrive - and the next thing you knew, the natives found themselves scratching for money, drinking Coca Cola and posing for photographs. Their traditions, their centuries-old culture, was just destroyed by this endless stream of tourists - because tourists can destroy culture. That's what the original idea for this song was."
The Getaway Gazette, September 1987
Albums
"Tourist Attraction" appears on the following albums:
