[Intro]
There's been a drastic change in American foreign policy in recent months
Take the Dominican Republic, which we did
A little while ago, killing a few people here and there, mostly there
Saving the day for freedom and democracy in the Western Hemisphere
Once again, folks
I was over there in the Dominican Republic entertaining the troops
I won't say which troops
Over there with a U.S.O. group including Walter Lippmann and Soupy Sales
I played there in a small coffeehouse called "The Sniper"
And this was my most unpopular song
With the, uh, poetic, symbolic title of
"The Marines Have Landed on the Shores of Santo Domingo"

[Verse 1]
And the crabs are crazy, they scuttle back and forth
The sand is burning
And the fish take flight and scatter from the sight
Their course is turning
As the seagulls rest on the cold cannon nest
The sea is churning
The Marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo

[Verse 2]
The fishermen sweat, they're pausing at their nets
The day's a-burning
As the warships sway and thunder in the bay
Loud in the morning
But the boy on the shore is throwing pebbles no more
He runs a-warning
That the Marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo
[Verse 3]
The streets are still, there's silence in the hills
The town is sleeping
And the farmers yawn in the grey silver dawn
The fields they're keeping
As the first troops land and step into the sand
The flags are weeping
The Marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo

[Verse 4]
The unsmiling sun is shining down upon
The singing soldiers
In the cloud dust whirl they whistle at the girls
They're getting bolder
Ah, the old women sigh, think of memories gone by
They shrug their shoulders
The Marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo

[Verse 5]
Ready for the tricks, their bayonets are fixed
Now they are rolling
And the tanks make tracks past the trembling shacks
Where fear is unfolding
All the young wives afraid, turn their backs to the parade
With babes they're holding
The Marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo
[Verse 6]
A bullet cracks the sound, the army hit the ground
The sniper's calling
So they open their guns, a thousand to one
No sense in stalling
He clutches at his head and totters on the edge
Look now, he's falling
The Marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo

[Verse 7]
In the red plaza square, the crowds come to stare
The heat is leaning
And the eyes of the dead are turning every head
To the widow's screaming
But the soldiers make a bid, giving candy to the kids
Their teeth are gleaming
The Marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo

[Verse 8]
Up and down the coast, the generals drink a toast
The wheel is spinning
And the cowards and the whores are peeking through the doors
To see who's winning
But the traitors will pretend that it's getting near the end
When it's beginning
The Marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo
[Verse 9]
And the crabs are crazy, they scuttle back and forth
The sand is burning
And the fish take flight and scatter from the sight
Their course is turning
As the seagulls rest on the cold cannon nest
The sea is churning
The Marines have landed on the shores of Santo Domingo