Plane Wreck at Los Gatos (also known as "Deportee")
Plane Wreck at Los Gatos (also known as "Deportee")
Words by Woody Guthrie, Music by Martin Hoffman
The crops are all in and the peaches are rott'ning,
The oranges piled in their creosote dumps;
They're flying 'em back to the Mexican border
To pay all their money to wade back again
Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye, Rosalita,
Adios mis amigos, Jesus y Maria;
You won't have your names when you ride the big airplane,
All they will call you will be "deportees"
My father's own father, he waded that river,
They took all the money he made in his life;
My brothers and sisters come working the fruit trees,
And they rode the truck till they took down and died.
Some of us are illegal, and some are not wanted,
Our work contract's out and we have to move on;
Six hundred miles to that Mexican border,
They chase us like outlaws, like rustlers, like thieves.
We died in your hills, we died in your deserts,
We died in your valleys and died on your plains.
We died 'neath your trees and we died in your bushes,
Both sides of the river, we died just the same.
The sky plane caught fire over Los Gatos Canyon,
A fireball of lightning, and shook all our hills,
Who are all these friends, all scattered like dry leaves?
The radio says, "They are just deportees"
Is this the best way we can grow our big orchards?
Is this the best way we can grow our good fruit?
To fall like dry leaves to rot on my topsoil
And be called by no name except "deportees".
My updated version:
The crops are all in and the peaches are rott'ning,
The crops have been picked, the buildings constructed;
They're flying 'em back to the Mexican border
Including the nurses and those who mop floors,
Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye, Rosalita,
Adios mis amigos, Jesus y Maria;
You won't have your names when you ride the big airplane,
All they will call you will be "deportees"
Some of them are illegal, and some are not wanted,
Their work contract's out and they have to move on;
Six hundred miles to that Mexican border,
They’re arrested like outlaws, like rustlers, like thieves.
They died in your hills, they died in your deserts,
They died in your valleys and died on your plains.
They died 'neath your trees and they died in your bushes,
Both sides of the river, they died just the same.
Is this the best way you can grow your big orchards?
Is this the best way you can grow your good frui
Would YOU do the jobs that they did for you
To be called by no name except "deportees"?
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In my opinion, the grandson of a pimp who made his money off of whores, booze and gambling is the one who should be deported.
Good seed Buzz.
Glad I planted it - hope it will grow.
I think i have heard a cover version of this by the Highwaymen , Willie, Waylon , Chris , and Johnny back in the 80s
Thei best version I ever heard was by a duet of Joan Baez and Bob Dylan. Check it out on Youtube.
Thank you, Thomas.
LOL - I've done the same thing with articles, Mark. Thanks - after all, "Double your pleasure, double your fun...."
Arlo Guthrie- Deportee
It figures he would sing his father's song.