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South Sea Islands

©2024 Tom Arnold / Deadbeat Music

I don’t care where the money goes
I just want to be free
Come on babe and sail away
To the south sea islands with me

(Papaete, Bora Bora, Rara-tonga)

We’ll watch the hulas sway to and fro
We’ll watch the tourists run
We’ll drink Hinano by the sea
Drink til the day is done
(Marquesas, Tuamotu, Nukuheva)

Sail away to the southern sea
Sail away to the coconut breeze
Rockin’ on the ocean honey
Rockin’ on the sea
I’ll rock on the islands with you babe
I’ll love you and do it right
(Haute, haute, hau----te vahine)

Casuarina trees by Gauguin
Black volcanic sand
Whispered secrets in your ear
Sway our longing hands
(Haute, haute, haute vahine)

And when the sun is falling down
The curtains have been drawn
Haute calls my sweet vahine
I’ll love you til the dawn
(Haute, haute, haute vahine)

Sail away to the southern sea
Sail away to the coconut breeze
Rockin’ on the ocean honey
Rockin’ on the sea

I’ll rock on the islands with you babe
I’ll love you and do it right
(Haute, haute, hau----te vahine)

And when we’re through and the money’s gone
I guess we’ll never go home
We’ll eat papaya, thatch a hut
And beg the tourist’s gold
(Mongaheva, Moraheve, Remavera)

I don’t care where the money goes
I just want to be free
Come on babe and sail away
To the south sea islands with me
(Papaheva, Hevahua, Huaheve)

Sail away to the southern sea
Sail away to the coconut breeze
Rockin’ on the ocean honey
Rockin’ on the sea
I’ll rock on the islands with you babe
I’ll love you and do it right
(Haute, haute, hau----te vahine)


It was time for a vacation, so I wrote this song. A long time ago. Time passed. I never took that South Sea Island Vacation. Ergo, time to record the song and release it!

A stellar cast of musicians and a storied singer did the song the justice it deserved. I could not have assembled a better group to make this song really shine.

Released September 20, 2024

Tom Arnold, vocal, guitar
Ellen Whyte, vocals
Gene Houck, electric bass
Percussion, Carl Smith
Drums Jeramy Burchett
Dean Baskerville and Tom Arnold, Producers
Dean Baskerville, Baskerville Recording, mixing and mastering
Noemi Rodriguez/Unsplash, cover and back panel photo
Scott Docherty/Redhare, Graphic Design, inside photos