Borderline

In the still of the desert, in the light of the moon Armando walks all alone And the river ahead holds promise and dread And he's 900 miles from his home He pays the coyote, dodges La Migra Walks for four hungry days When he finally hits Austin, the boomtown is bustin' But he takes what the contractor pays When love for family is stronger than fear When the desperation sets in A man will cross any line that is drawn And who's to say it's a sin And he crossed himself at the borderline He wired the dollars to Elena back home As he roomed with 10 desperate men When the builders had enough, the INS cuffed him And it's back to the border again A tearful reunion with family and friends But soon the reality sets in There's no work to be found in the dry desert ground He must head for Estados again Small Mandolin break From Guadalajara come a man with no name He said, "You can have all that you need There's no contract to sign but the terms are your life If you take my money and seed." Chorus Payments were made, the seed it was sown Armando watched the crop grow Even his brother-in-law, in the army Was in on the plan from the go Seven months gone, and the crop's gathered in But the brother has a plan of his own He orders a raid, the army invades And he takes what the village has grown Small Mandolin break In from the west came the man with no name He said someone must pay with their life We know your brothers, your father and mother Your children, your sister, your wife Now we cannot touch your sister's young husband Tu Cunao is a military man But you can decide who lives and who dies And he placed the gun in his hand Chorus In the still of the desert, in the light of the moon Armando walks all alone And the river ahead holds promise and dread And he's 900 miles from his home