Am  C  G  Am

[Verse 1]
       Am           C              G            Am
In the still of the desert, in the light of the moon,
  Am    C         E
Armando walks all alone
         Am    C          G           Am
And the river ahead holds promise and dread
         F            E              Am
And he's nine hundred miles from his home

[Verse 2]
   Am         C    G         Am
He pays the cyotes dodges la megra
Am        C           E
Walks for four hungry days
        Am           C          G           Am
When he finally hits Austin the boomtown is bustin
       F              E          Am
But he takes what the contractor pays

[Chorus]
     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
    Dm                  E
And who's to say it's a sin
       Am      C              G     Am
And he crossed himself at the borderline

[Verse 3]
   Am        C          G          Am
He wired the dollars to Elena back home
      Am          C             E
As he roamed with ten desperate men
         Am           C           G   Am
When the builders had enough, the INS cuffed him,
         F           E      Am
And it's back to the border again

[Verse 4]
  Am        C          G          Am
A tearful reunion with family and friends,
    Am         C          E
But soon the reality sets in
           Am         C            G          Am
There's no work to be found in the dry desert ground
        F         E      Am
He must head to estados again

[Mandolin Break]
Am  C  G  Am
F   E  Am

[Verse 5]
     Am     C           G           Am
From Guadalajara come a man with no name
         Am           C            E
He said "You can have all that you need."
            Am          C            G              Am
"There's no contract to sign but the terms are your life,
       F       E         Am
If you take my money and seed"

[Chorus]
     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
    Dm                  E
And who's to say it's a sin
       Am      C              G     Am
And he crossed himself at the borderline

[Verse 6]
    Am            C         G           Am
The payments were made, the seed it was sown,
Am      C                E
Armando watched the crop grow
Am       C          G          Am
Even his brother in law in the army,
    F         E             Am
Was in on the plan from the go

[Verse 7]
Am       C            G              Am
7 months gone and the crops gathered in
        Am            C           E
But the brother has a plan of his own
   Am       C         G      Am
He orders a raid, the army invades,
       F              E           Am
And he takes what the village has grown

[Mandolin Break]
Am  C  G  Am
F   E  Am

[Verse 8]
Am          C             G           Am
In from the west came the man with no name
         Am           C              E
He said "someone must pay with their life
    Am        C              G            Am
"We know your brothers, your father, your mother,
     F              E            Am
Your children, your sister, your wife"

[Verse 9]
     Am         C          G              Am
"Now we can not touch your sister's young husband
Am            C        E
Tu Cunao is a military man
    Am      C          G             Am
But you can decide who lives and who dies"
       F          E          Am
And he placed the gun in his hand

[Chorus]
     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
    Dm                  E
And who's to say it's a sin
       Am      C              G     Am
And he crossed himself at the borderline

[Verse 10]
       Am           C              G            Am
In the still of the desert, in the light of the moon
Am      C          E
Armando walks all alone
        Am     C          G           Am
And the river ahead holds promise and dread
         F            E              Am
And he's nine hundred miles from his home