He’s just a runner in the human race

Eyes of fire and a heart of grace

He runs like the devil when you call his name

Thinks you might be trouble

If you’re not he’ll be safe just the same

He’s got a dollar and a quarter

He’s running checkpoints at the border.

 

He grew up in a factory town

But everybody left when the plant closed down

His mama, she fixed him a bowl of soup

Said a few novenas to the Lady of Guadaloupe

Then she sent him running northward

His destination, across the border

 

Fire at your heels, wind in your hair

What’s the vision driving you there?

Run for the finish with hope in your eyes

Reach to claim your prize

 

He worked last year in a factory town

Running the assembly line and making the rounds

Agents came and they manned the door

They didn’t have a warrant but it didn’t seem to matter much more

Once they had them all in order

They sent the southbound, across the border

 

Eyes of an eagle with a sparrow’s soul

Looking o’er his shoulder for the roving patrol

He knows this highway like the back of his hand

He’s crossed it in his mind but now he’s entering the promised land

He didn’t get the welcome that he oughtta

They sent him southbound, across the border.