note.gif (1687 bytes)  song of the month
(click on Doug's head)

 

This latest "song of the month" came about after reading an article about the street children of Brazil.   The level of poverty that exists in Brazil shook me - basically,  10% of the population possesses 60% of the nation's income, while the pooerst 40% have only 0.8%.    Children, as is often the case, become victims of this poverty - crime runs rampant on the streets of Rio and Sao Paolo and there are an estimated 50,000 child prostitutes, which propels a flourishing black market for the baby trade.   It's capitalism at its worst and the figures in the song are well-documented.   In human terms,  I wanted to put one particular child's life and opportunities (or lack thereof) in the context of this environment and that became the basis for "Theresa".  This is a live- in- the- studio demo version I cut at in Nashville for Steve Roberts and the folks at Radio Crosby in Liverpool.   It's the first take of two run throughs.
 

Theresa (Doug Hoekstra 2002)

Theresa, she is 5 years old
Brown hair, green eyes, does what she’s told
She acts as lookout for the danger boys
A Cadillac stops at the traffic light
She gets real close to the passenger’s side
And fixes her chewing gum to the window glass
Two blocks away the car stops again
The boys stroke their guns and descend
On a woman with a 50 carat diamond ring

The light goes green, the boys shake loose
Sao Paolo Streets, tight as a noose… Theresa, Theresa

Palm trees and sandy beaches
A world that lies beyond the reach
Of outstretched hands dipping in the sea
Rummaging through the rich man’s trash
In the cathedral square, with eyes detached
She takes off her makeup to look a little younger

Idols fall; chains break loose
Sao Paolo Streets, tight as a noose… Theresa, Theresa

Theresa, she is 12 years old
Brown eyes and belly, baby to be sold
The danger boys measure the market well
There’s a couple in the USA
Twenty thousand dollars they will pay
Some people love to put a price on anything…
Theresa gets a fifty dollar bill
When the child is delivered from fractured will
Fallin’ through the hole in her safety net

The couple forgets, seeds of abuse…
Sao Paolo Streets, tight as a noose..oh Theresa, Theresa

Carmen Miranda on a wooden sign
Smiles at tourists from another time
The sun shines down on peeling paint

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