El Niño De La Calle

I remember that kid
Who sadly came here
With a frown on his face
And demanding like this

You who sing ballads
Why don’t you sing a story about me?
I’m the unwanted child
That they look down on here
I’m the street kid
Fighting to survive

And I came to the border
But didn’t want to come
Dragged by my parents
Claiming it was for a future
I wouldn’t have come for me
I was happy where I was

I had 3 grandparents, cousins to play with
A dog, and a turkey and a
Stream where I swam
My little sister hadn’t died
My dad and mom adored each other

One morning
After going to mass
My dad gave the family
That sad news
'I can’t stand the poverty anymore
We’re going to the other side

I want to save some money even
If it’s as an illegal, it’s for you my
Kids,' he said almost smiling
'Life is heavy like
We’re living it, and I love you
So much, I’ll find a way
For you to grow up with a
Good education'

A week later
On the trip still
My little sister died
Supposedly from pneumonia
She lacked medicine
Because there was no money
My mom also from sadness
Almost died too

We reached the border
Only to suffer
My dear mom
Came here to get sick
And my dad swore to us he’d
Fight without stopping
To cross us into
The United States soon

My grandparents and my home
Were left very far behind
But here I carry in my soul
The tears of my folks
Here, I can’t even play
And school, well, later

Now I started a new job
Now I’m a fire-eater
That stinky tobacco
And the powders and the pills
That’s what’s important here
For gringos and gringas
If my boss saw me
It’d make me laugh out of sadness
How I’m getting educated
In the middle of this low life

My dad crossed that fence
Made a hole underneath
Sad and serious he told me
'Look after your mom
I’m going to find work
I’ve turned 10 years old and 3
Years ago he went to hell
And I want to take charge
Since that day, I swear
But I can’t do it alone
It really feels hard

I’m dying to grow up
I’m short as it is
Where’s the money?
And if they let me, I’ll grab it
There’s that damn fence
We didn’t know anything about my dad
And he’ll never realize
How much we suffered for him
We miss him all the time

They must have killed him
If it weren’t for that
He wouldn’t have abandoned me