Lyrics

It's Christmas on the Mekong and it feels pretty far
But not too far for the old kitsch to find ya
There's songs from the mall back home playing at the bar
And they're wearing LED Santa hats made in China
I'm stumbling down the banana pancake trail
I can count my friends here on one hand
But I'm more of a tourist than a traveller
You can tell by the lines of my tan
I was down on the Andaman, where the happy milkshakes are
And you can hear the call to prayer from the bamboo bar
Now I'm up here in Laos where the muddy rivers wind
Hearing songs about peace on earth and goodwill to humankind

In the market there's jewelry made out of bombs
From a war out of mind and out of sight
Half a million sorties we sent our boys on
Flying secret as Santa in the middle of the night
And the countryside groans with the weight
Of all the shiny stuff they piled
Two thousand pounds of ordnance
For every man, woman and child
But people can't help hoping, and life just goes on
And someone made a barbecue from an American bomb
And gathering around it, like always we find
Nothing but peace on earth and goodwill to humankind

Back at the guesthouse, Muan offers me a seat
Where they're drinking all slow and distinguished
And we take turns with one glass, drain it down and repeat
And they do me the favour of speaking English
Their calendar counts from when Buddha died
Long before baby Jesus was born
I say "sok dee," they say "Merry Christmas!"
In the year 2561
And the Mekong is gleaming under an eyelid moon
There's a sleeper bus nightly, I'll be leaving soon
I'll be changing my money, still working on my mind
Trying to learn peace on earth, and goodwill to humankind