No Gringo

Vienna Teng - No Gringo

father says head down

we don't want them finding you

mother says practice now

all the words you know

oh Arizona's burning

they say the fence turned round

now the razor wire keeps us out

mother says with luck

we'll sleep under a roof tonight

father says in the truck

we'll be crushed in tight

oh Chicago don't forget me

as the miles between us grow

keep the maple tree carved

with the name of my love

the hills we would sled race down

Lake Michigan stay endless and painted in sky

goodbye

Mother says years ago

the whole world was ours to rule

father says let it go

those days are gone for good

all the signs read no gringo

but somehow we'll find our way

maybe waiting at dawn by the factory doors

sunburnt and bent in the fields

please don't turn us in

we'll be silent as the grave

as time

no gringo

no Gringo aquí

words as levies against the flood

hoy cerrado

there's too many to feed

room for only our own kind, our own blood

no gringo,

no gringo aquí

you have stayed in this land for too long

tan amargo

but there's no time to grieve

you just pack up your things and move on