Gallo Del Cielo Lyrics - The Long Way Around - Tom Russell

Carlos Zaragoza left his home in Casas Grandes when the moon was full 

No money in his pocket, just a locket of his sister framed in gold 

He rode into El Sueco, stole a rooster called Gallo Del Cielo 

Then he swam the Rio Grande with that fighter nestled 

Deep beneath his arm. 

El Gallo Del Cielo was a rooster born in heaven so the legends say 

His wings they had been broken, he had one eye 

Rollin' crazy in his head 

And he'd fought a hundred fights, and the legends say 

That one night near El Sueco 

They'd fought Gallo seven times, and seven times he'd 

Left brave roosters dead. 

Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in San Antonio 

I have 27 dollars and the good luck of your picture 

Framed in gold 

Tonight I'll put it all on the fighting spurs of Gallo Del Cielo 

And then I'll return to buy the land Villa stole 

From father long ago. 

Outside of San Diego, in the onion fields of Paco Monteverde 

The Pride of San Diego lay sleeping on a fancy bed of silk 

And they laughed when Zaragoza pulled the one-eyed 

Del Cielo from beneath his coat 

But they cried when Zaragoza walked away with a 

Thousand dollar bill. 

Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in Santa Barbara 

I have fifteen hundred dollars and the good luck of 

Your picture framed in gold 

Tonight I'll put it all on the fighting spurs of Gallo Del Cielo 

And then I'll return to buy the land Villa stole 

From father long ago. 

Now the moon has gone to hiding and the lantern light 

Spills shadows on a fighting sand 

Where a wicked black named Zorro faces Gallo del Cielo in the night 

But Carlos Zaragoza fears the tiny crack that runs across his rooster's beak 

And he fears he has lost the fifty thousand dollars riding on the fight. 

Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in Santa Clara 

Yes, the money's on the table, I am holding to 

Your good luck framed in gold 

And everything we've dreamed of is riding on the spurs of Del Cielo 

I pray that I'll return to buy the land Villa stole from father long ago. 

Then the signal it was given, and the cocks rose 

Together far above the sand 

El Gallo del Cielo sunk a gaff into Zorro's shiny breast 

They were separated quickly but they rose and fought 

Each other thirty seven times 

And the legends say that everyone agreed that del Cielo fought the best. 

Then the screams of Zaragoza filled the night outside 

The town of Santa Clara 

As the beak of del Cielo lay broken like a shell within his hand 

And they say that Zaragoza screamed a curse upon the 

Bones of Pancho Villa 

When Zorro rose up one last time and drove del 

Cielo through the sand. 

Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in 

San Francisco 

I have no money in my pocket, I no longer have 

Your good luck framed in gold 

I buried it last evening with the bones of my 

Beloved Del Cielo 

And I'll not return to buy the land Villa stole from 

Father long ago. 

Do the rivers still run muddy outside of my beloved 

Casas Grandes? 

Oes the scar upon my brother's face turn red when 

He hears mention of my name? 

Do the people of El Sueco curse the theft of Gallo del Cielo? 

Well, tell my family not to worry, I will not return 

To cause them shame.