Live 28 Oct 1999 version
Well Miguel came from a small town in northern Mexico
He come north with his brother Louis to California three years ago
They crossed at the river levee when Louis was just sixteen
And found work together in the fields of the San Joaquin
They left their homes and family, their father said, "My sons one thing you will learn
For everything the north gives, it exacts a price in return"
They worked side by side in the orchards from morning till the day was through
Yeah doing the work the hueros wouldn't do
Word was out some men in from Sinaloa were looking for some hands
Well deep in Fresno County there was a deserted chicken ranch
And there in a small tin shack on the edge of a ravine
Miguel and Louis stood cooking methamphetamine
You could spend a year in the orchards or make half as much in just one ten-hour shift
Working for the men from Sinaloa, ah, but if you slipped
The hydriodic acid will burn right through your skin
They leave you coughing up blood in the desert if you breath those fumes in
Well it was early one winter evening as Miguel stood watch outside
Yeah when the shack exploded, lighting up the valley night
Miguel carried Louis's body over his shoulder down a swale to the creek side
And there in the tall grass Louis Rosales died
Well Miguel lifted Louis's body into his truck and then he drove
To where the morning sunlight fell on a eucalyptus grove
There in the dirt he dug up ten thousand dollars, all that they'd saved
Kissed his brother's lips and placed him in his grave
The above lyrics are for the live 28 Oct 1999 performance of SINALOA COWBOYS at Oakland Arena in Oakland, CA, during The Reunion Tour. The song was played in a unique full-band arrangement. Springsteen starts the song solo on acoustic guitar for the first two verse, then he's accompanied on accordion for the third verse, the rest of the band joins in for the fourth and fifth verses, he's again solo on acoustic guitar for the last verse, and then the band kicks in again for the remainder of the song.
List of available versions of SINALOA COWBOYS on this website:
SINALOA COWBOYS [Album version]
