"Déjà Vu Blues" (Spoken, over slow, steady blues riff) I caught the bus this mornin’... Oh yeah, I caught it, all right. But let me tell ya somethin’— It was headin’ in the wrong direction. Yeah, wrong way down this little Caribbean road. But out here? You don’t wait for the perfect bus; You get on the one that’s rollin’. ‘Cause that next one might not come… Not for a good, long WHILE. (Band eases in with a groove) So I climbed aboard, Knowing sooner or later, That ol’ bus was gonna turn ‘round. Gonna take me back to where I belong… Back to town. Chorus (sung, with soulful backup singers) Oh, retracin’ my steps, Lord, it’s true, It’s like a glitch in the simulation, deja vu. I’m headin’ back where I came from, yeah. Tryin’ to get through— This ol’ bus ride’s like a déjà vu, To the other side. (Spoken, band vamping under the verses) Now, let me tell ya about this bus ride— It started to fill up, oh, it sure did. Sweet perfume floatin’ in the air, And those island smiles, they’re everywhere. Folks laughin’, chattin’, sayin’ “Good mornin’!” Everybody knows everybody— But me? I’m the stranger here. Still… I feel welcome, I feel… home. This bus, this déjà vu bus, It’s carryin’ me, carryin’ them. We’re all ridin’ together, Heading against the tide of life, Holdin’ on, keepin’ on. Chorus (sung, with more intensity) Retracin’ my steps, Lord, it’s true, It’s like a glitch in the simulation, deja vu. I’m headin’ back where I came from, yeah. Tryin’ to get through— This ol’ bus ride’s like a déjà vu, To the other side. (Spoken, guitar solo echoes the mood) Then we stopped. Oh yeah, the bus rattled and wheezed, And that door—it creaked open like it had seen too much. Folks stepped off, shoutin’ “Later!” Still smilin’, always smilin’. And I think to myself—these are good people. People who’ve been through hurricanes, Lost homes, rebuilt lives… They’ve weathered the storms. And here they are today, Still ridin’, still smilin’. Man, that’s resilience. That’s the blues, too. (Slide guitar builds up gently) The bus finally rolled into town… What’s left of it, anyway. I paid my fare, tipped my hat to the driver, And stepped out onto the street. Time to hit the grocery store, once more… Retracin’ my steps, just like before. Chorus (final, drawn-out with harmonies) Retracin’ my steps, Lord, it’s true, It’s like a glitch in the simulation, deja vu. I’m headin’ back where I came from, yeah. Tryin’ to get through— This ol’ bus ride’s like a déjà vu, To the other side… (Outro, spoken, fading with gentle licks) Life’s just one big ol’ ride, And sometimes, You just gotta take the wrong bus To end up in the right place. just like before. Chorus (final, drawn-out with harmonies) Retracin’ my steps, Lord, it’s true, It’s like a glitch in the simulation, deja vu. I’m headin’ back where I came from, yeah. Tryin’ to get through— This ol’ bus ride’s like a déjà vu, To the other side… (Outro, spoken, fading with gentle licks) Life’s just one big ol’ ride, And sometimes, You just gotta take the wrong bus To end up in the right place. one big ol’ ride, And sometimes, You just gotta take the wrong bus To end up in the right place.
