Foreign Affair - Manhattan Transfer

when travelling abroad in the continental style

it’s my belief one must attempt to be discreet

and subsequently bear in mind your transient position

allows you a perspective that’s unique

though you’ll find your itinerary’s a blessing and a curse

your wanderlust won’t let you settle down

and you’ll wonder how you ever fathomed that you’d be content

to stay within the city limits of a small midwestern town

most vagabonds i knowed don’t ever want to find the culprit

that remains the object of their long relentless quest

the obsession’s in the chasing and not the apprehending

the pursuit you see and never the arrest

without fear of contradiction bon voyage is always hollered

in conjunction with a handkerchief from shore

by a girl that drives a rambler and furthermore

is overly concerned that she won’t see him anymore

planes and trains and boats and buses

characteristically evoke a common attitude of blue

unless you have a suitcase and a ticket and a passport

and the cargo that they’re carrying is you

a foreign affair juxtaposed with a stateside

and domestically approved romantic fancy

is mysteriously attractive due to circumstances knowing

it will only be parlayed into a memory