American ranching consists of a mansion
Where illegal immigrants do much of the labor by hand
They sneak ‘em through customs till time comes to bust ‘em
Then haul ‘em back over the border to their own native land
With a ragged sombrero and not much dinero
They’ll be back again when the ole Rio Grande is down low
So border patroller don’t stop the stroller
‘Cause the illegal immigrant is helping America grow
Viva La Mexico, go where they let you go
And do what you can for the land
Take home dinero and buy new sombrero
And come back again when you can
What makes a gringo your smart aleck lingo
When he stole this land from the Indian man way back when
Don’t he remember the big money lender
That put him a Lincoln parked where his pinto had been
The almighty peso that gives him the say so
To dry up the river whenever there’s crops to bring in
Such a good neighbor to take all his labor
And chase him back over the border till he’s needed again
Viva La Mexico, go where they let you go
Do what you can for the land
Take home dinero and buy new sombrero
And come back again when you can
The immigrant, Merle Haggard, 1978 – auteursversie
Johnny Rodriguez – maar deze was eerder (1977)
