Am C G Am
In the still of the desert, in the light of the moon
Am C Em
Armando walks all alone
Am C G Am
And the river ahead holds promise and dread
F Em Am
And he's 900 miles from his home
Am C G Am
He pays the coyote, dodges La Migra
Am C Em
Walks for four hungry days
Am C G Am
When he finally hits Austin, the boomtown is bustin'
F Em Am
But he takes what the contractor pays
C Am
When love for family is stronger than fear
C Am
When the desperation sets in
C Am
A man will cross any line that is drawn
F E
And who's to say it's a sin
Am C G Am
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