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Up on the hill
People never stare
They just don't care
Chinese music under banyan trees
Here at the dude ranch above the sea
Aja
When all my dime dancin' is through
I run to you
Up on the hill
They've got time to burn
There's no return
Double helix in the sky tonight
Throw out the hardware
Let's do it right
Aja
When all my dime dancin' is through
I run to you
Up on the hill
They think I'm okay
Or so they say
Chinese music always sets me free
Angular banjoes sound good to me
Aja
When all my dime dancin' is through
I run to you
People never stare
They just don't care
Chinese music under banyan trees
Here at the dude ranch above the sea
Aja
When all my dime dancin' is through
I run to you
Up on the hill
They've got time to burn
There's no return
Double helix in the sky tonight
Throw out the hardware
Let's do it right
Aja
When all my dime dancin' is through
I run to you
Up on the hill
They think I'm okay
Or so they say
Chinese music always sets me free
Angular banjoes sound good to me
Aja
When all my dime dancin' is through
I run to you
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I tend to think there are lyrical references to euphoria produced by certain oriental substances - combined with a yearning for and romanticizing of Eastern culture/religion. I get the same vibe from Bodhisattva and Time Out of Mind.
Musically this song is tremendous. I normally hate jazzy fusion-type music but in this song I LOVE it!
The whole thing could be an opium dream about archetypal oriental culture (?)
It's like looking at one of those Chinese ceramic scenes with maidens playing stringed instruments under Banyan trees - sort of like "Blue Willow" china - or the images you see on a tin of real Chinese loose-leaf tea... what do you think? Would they agree?
Steely Dan are the best. I think of them as musician's musicians...
"Time Out Of Mind" is, of course, about dope - "chasing the dragon", or smoking, rather than shooting (also referenced here - "throw out the hardware, let's do it right").