Song Spotlight: "Across the Borderline"
The August 4th Sing-Along will include a melancholy song about immigration across the Rio Grande.
Willie Nelson performs a sweetly melancholy version of “Across the Borderline,” a song by Ry Cooder, Jim Dickinson and John Hyatt.
Is America the “promised land” for immigrants? Or does Ry Cooder capture the bitter truth about it in the chorus?
When you reach the broken promised land
And every dream slips through your hands
Then you’ll know that it’s too late to change your mind
Come sing it with us Tuesday, August 4th, at the Druid City Brewing Company, 7pm.
Music Videos
Willie’s take:
Ry Cooder’s original:
An achingly beautiful version by Gaby Moreno:
Lyrics
There’s a place where I’ve been told
Every street is paved with gold
And it’s just across the borderline
And when it’s time to take your turn
Here’s a lesson that you must learn
You could lose more than you’ll ever hope to find
When you reach the broken promised land
And every dream slips through your hands
Then you’ll know that it’s too late to change your mind
‘Cause you’ve paid the price to come so far
Just to wind up where you are
And you’re still just across the borderline
Up and down the Rio Grande
A thousand footprints in the sand
Reveal a secret no one can define
The river flows on like a breath
In between our life and death
Tell me who’s the next to cross the borderline
But hope remains when pride is gone
And it keeps you moving on
Calling you across the borderline
When you reach the broken promised land
Every dream slips through your hands
And you’ll know it’s too late to change your mind
‘Cause you pay the price to come so far
Just to wind up where you are
And you’re still just across the borderline
Now you’re still just across the borderline
And you’re still just across the borderline