Bracero (Live) - Phil Ochs

Wade into the river

Through the rippling shallow watter

Steal across the thirsty border bracero

Come bring your hungry bodies

To the golden fields of plenty

From a peso to a penny bracero

Oh Welcome to California

Where the friendly farmer

Will take care of you

Come labor for your mother

Your father and your brother

For your sister and your lover bracero

Come pick the fruit of yellow

Break the flower from the berry

Purple grapes will fill your belly bracero

Oh Welcome to California

Where the friendly farmer will take care of you

And the sun will bite your body

As the dust will draw you thristy

While your muscles beg for mercy bracero

In the shade of your sombrero

Drop your sweat upon the soil

Like the fruit your youth can spoil bracero

Oh Welcome to California

Where the friendly farmer will take care of you

When the weary night embraces

Sleep in shacks that could be cages

They will take it from your wages bracero

Come sing about tomorrow with a jingle of the dollar

And forget your crooked collar bracero

Oh Welcome to California

Where the friendly farmer will take care of you

And the local men are lazy

And they make too much of trouble

Besides we'd have to pay the double bracero

But if you feel you're fallin'

If you find the pace is killing

There are others who are willing bracero

Oh Welcome to California

Where the friendly farmer will take care of you