There's a farmer into night school
Playing on family sand
There's a lowrider down in Espanyol
And he's tearing up the government's land

There's a string quartet recital
They're playing to the wealthy ears
There's a boy and his dog gone down by the river
And they're shooting down empty beers

So that's the way it goes
Living in the land the first man once did roam
So that's the way it goes
Living in the land the first man once called home

Well, there's a bigwig corporation
They're mining down the mountainside
There's a man making money by floating down a river
And he's giving all the folks a ride

There's this 15 dollar artist
She's painting people in the square
There's a guy building condos, everybody's angry
And he says, Man, I really don't care”

So that's the way it goes
Living in the land the first man once did roam
So that's the way it goes
Living in the land the first man once called home

Now this first man's basic blessing
Is just what this government gives
But he'll tell you that his only real reservation
Is really just where he lives

Now this first man's slowly vanishing
And too this land, they bred
But let's make no mistake about it
First man here was red

So that's the way it goes
Living in the land the first man once did roam
So that's the way it goes
Living in the land the first man once called home

Yeah, that's the way it goes
Living in the land the first man once called home
Oh, that's the way it goes and goes and goes and goes
Living in the land this first man, he thought he owned