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85 Degreed

85 Degrees
Words and Music by Christine Lavin
Copyright 1988, Flip-A-Jig/Rounder Music

She's a relative youngster, just 52
Been living here since '76
With a curious laugh
She describes how it is
Her neighbors get their kicks

"They all talk about what they once were
Or what it is their children do
I guess they're own lives ended years ago
Maybe mine did too"

Chorus: Miami Beach in November
It's 85 degrees
I wade into the water
My pants rolled up to my knees
The sparkling surf
The bubbling foam
Explode against the shore
A sailboat heads for the horizon
I wonder what it's leaving for

He was born and raised on Miami Beach
Went to college way out west
He moved back here five years ago
His mom and dad's request
"They treat me like I'm their little boy
Every time I come home late
They'd like to see me married
But they never approve
Of any of the girls I date"

Chorus: Miami Beach in November
It's 85 degrees
I wade into the water
Up to my knees
The salty surf
The bitter foam
Slap against the shore
A sailboat heads for the horizon
I wonder what it's leaving for

Oh what a perfect setting
What a perfect sky
Oh a perfectly awful looking drifter
Is trying to catch my eye

"Be careful" he said "There's a riptide
It almost carried me away
Though you're only knee deep
You had better take care
The ocean's unpredictable today
I'm from Southern California
And from what I can judge
You too are a stranger here
Could you lend this beachcomber
A couple of bucks
I'm dying for a beer"

Chorus: Miami Beach in November
It's 85 degrees
I wade into the water
Up to my knees
The satiny surf
The lacy foam
Slamdancing with the shore
A sailboat heads for the horizon
I wonder what it's leaving for

A sailboat slips over the horizon
I wonder what it's heading for.