Catalina on a fishing boat
We call it Henry Cisneros
We got no money but we stay afloat
The jellyfishes don't scare us
You're telling everybody life's a ball
Too many pleasures to mention
You do a cartwheel in the shopping mall
You seem to get their attention
In your red toupee
In your red toupee
You take your number to a Broadway play
It keeps her well out of danger
You're blowing bubbles in the matinee
You never looked any stranger
In your red toupee
In your red toupee
People say that you're unusual
You just tell them they're confused
If only they were more like you
They'd brighten up their day
In your red toupee
In your red toupee
Promenades in furs and laces
People put on airs and graces
Bedroom eyes in boardroom faces
Oh where will it lead
To Catalina on a fishing boat
We call it Henry Cisneros
We got no money but we stay afloat
Those jellyfishes don't scare us
In our red toupees
Oh we got our red toupees
In your mauve toupee
Turquoise toupee
In your green toupee
Cerise toupee
Why are you wearing that strange toupee
My God, a cormorant just flew by!
We call it Henry Cisneros
We got no money but we stay afloat
The jellyfishes don't scare us
You're telling everybody life's a ball
Too many pleasures to mention
You do a cartwheel in the shopping mall
You seem to get their attention
In your red toupee
In your red toupee
You take your number to a Broadway play
It keeps her well out of danger
You're blowing bubbles in the matinee
You never looked any stranger
In your red toupee
In your red toupee
People say that you're unusual
You just tell them they're confused
If only they were more like you
They'd brighten up their day
In your red toupee
In your red toupee
Promenades in furs and laces
People put on airs and graces
Bedroom eyes in boardroom faces
Oh where will it lead
To Catalina on a fishing boat
We call it Henry Cisneros
We got no money but we stay afloat
Those jellyfishes don't scare us
In our red toupees
Oh we got our red toupees
In your mauve toupee
Turquoise toupee
In your green toupee
Cerise toupee
Why are you wearing that strange toupee
My God, a cormorant just flew by!
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings, edited by quamp
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According to an interview, Al co-wrote this song with Peter White. It takes place in the future (around 2005) in California. Henry Cisneros, who was mayor of San Antonio at the time, is now president. (Later he would be in President Clinton's cabinet as secretary of HUD, but fall to scandal.) Everyone's hair has fallen out due to global pollution and thus everyone wears brightly colored toupees or wigs. From this world a guy travels back in time to 1988, and thus he's now ahead of his time. He originally titled it "Pink Cafe." Al said he wrote the lyrics in about three minutes.
One of the background singers on this is Tori Amos.