LYRICS: SOUTH OF THE BORDER AGAIN

(CD available HERE or listen/download it)

SOUTH OF THE BORDER AGAIN Got that green light at the 21 K now I'm south of the border again / I'll be eating dorado at the end of the day / South of the border again

CHORUS South of the border again / And it feels so good, my friend / Tacos, burritos, muchachas, amigos / And sails out on the wind / South of the border again

A beautiful chica greets me with a beso / South of the border again / Traded my dollars for a pocketful of pesos / South of the border again / So crack a cerveza, slice up a lime / Pour a little salt on the rim / I tossed my watch now I'm taking my time / South of the border again / REPEAT CHORUS

And oh oh I'll take the sea and the sun / Oh, oh heading south's more fun / Oh, oh still can't explain it / How one step across that line puts me in a manana state of mind

Now I'm playing guitar in some waterfront bar where the waves come rolling in / A voice in the crowd says “Welcome back Mark” / South of the border again / REPEAT CHORUS

 

WHAT A RIDE I walked into that bar in Kirkland Junction / The place was full of cowboys as I whipped out my guitar / With a bar stool for a stage and fifty bucks in pay / Just a few songs into my first gig / He said my name's Guy and I don't like your music / Would you kindly take your guitar, drink your beer and hit the road / I said “Guy, I'll tell you what / Name any song you want / If you stump me I swear I'm out the door

Thank God I knew Guy's favorite tune that night / Probably saved my life / If not for Rose Colored Glasses what would have happened / I might have gotten killed that night / But Guy just took his hat off and he stuck it on my head / Slapped me on the back and said “ I like this kid!” / As I look back now I just say wow / What a ride

In a cantina sixty miles south of the border / Used to be a prison, then a brothel, then a bar / My first career mistake was being there Spring Break / And wondering where's the chicken wire / Some punk climbed up on stage and grabbed the microphone / So he could scream the F-word to all his wasted friends / When I kicked his butt off stage / He flew into a rage / And a billiard ball came flying at my head

Had I not been sober I might not have moved over and I'd be dead / An eight ball to the head / But it just grazed my ear and I spilled my beer / And that was it, but not for him / His buddies blew him off, and he couldn't afford the bail / Bet he won't talk about that week he spent in jail / ‘Cause what happens in Mexico , you know how that goes / Oh my, what a ride

Now the years have come and gone and I've been successful / At avoiding any type of what they call a “real job” / The more that I turn gray the more I love to play / So thank you for listening to my songs / From that very first tune in that cowboy saloon I never knew where the road would lead / From sleeping in cars, on beaches and bars I've seen a lot of miles between / From Kirkland Junction to the Texas Coast / Southern Cal to Florida , and south to Mexico / I've seen boats and trains and buses and planes on this ride, this amazing ride / So hand me a guitar and toss me a mike / And I'll keep on singing up until the day I die / And with my last breath I'll say “no regrets" / What a ride” / What a ride / Been quite a ride / Thanks for the ride

 

WHEN ADELA SMILED From across the market Adela smiled at me / With the prettiest grin this gringo had ever seen / An hour later I'd known her all my life / And I had this feeling one day she'd be my wife / I still recall how Adela smiled at me / When I asked her “Friday night, are you free?” / My heart sank when she told me “I've got plans” / ‘Til she kissed me on the cheek and said “Ask again”

When Adela smiled at me / Just like that, suddenly this boy fell in deep / Said adios to my old ways / My wild and reckless days were history / I swear I felt my heart skip a beat / The first time Adela smiled at me

One summer night Adela smiled at me / As she promised me her love for eternity / Without a clue how the future would unfold / She said I'll be with you til I grow old

I knew I was as lucky as be / That night Adela smiled at me / Now Adela's looking down from up above / Her little Marcos and Luis they're growing up / They point at pictures and say “That's my Mom” / And when I see them smile her memory lives on

It's like Adela smiles at me every time I look into my little boys' eyes / If I'd only known back then / I'd do it all again, and I wouldn't think twice / When I hear “Daddy, how did our family come to be?” / I say it all began when Adela smiled at me / Tonight as I get down on my knees / I thank God Adela smiled at me

CORTEZ WATERS Sonora sun shine down on me / You never knew how much I need a moment like this / A moment like this / When my world came crashing in / I heard a voice off in the wind saying come back home / Boy you're not alone / So let your tides come rolling in / Splash some of that salt air on my skin 'cause I'm home again

Wash me away in waves of Cortez water / Feel the ocean spray as the wind is filling up my sail / Each time I've strayed, the feeling hits me harder / Now I could leave but I've learned why even bother / I'd just come back to these Cortez waters

I feel your sand beneath my feet / Why do my footprints always lead right back to you / Right back to you / Guess when it's all said and done / You're the place that I belong / And it sure feels nice / Don't need to thing twice about coming back / So many lessons that I've learned / Come on, didn't you know that I'd return / Now I've returned to stay

Wash me away in waves of Cortez water / Feel the ocean spray as the wind is filling up my sail / Last time I strayed, I came back at little stronger / Now I could leave but I've learned why even bother / I'd just come back to these Cortez waters

Blame the force of gravity / Or maybe there's something wrong with me / A restless feeling running through my soul / That brought me back to this shore

Wash me away in waves of Cortez water / Feel the ocean spray as the wind is filling up my sail / What can I say, ‘cause my words could not describe it / Now I could leave but I've learned why even bother / I'd just come back to these Cortez waters / (Wash me away) back to these Cortez waters / (Wash me away) back to these Cortez waters / (Wash me away) I'm back in these Cortez waters

 

COASTAL KID Now the wind is blowing in and my boat is heading out / Hop aboard let's cruise out for a sail / Let's get this hull flying and head out toward the island / Haul that mainsheet in we're on our way / We've got dolphins on the bow / And they're putting on a show / Disappearing somewhere in my wake / Pelicans are diving ‘round a lazy old sea lion / While a flying fish goes soaring across the bay / I was born in the desert sun but the ocean called my name / To where the seagulls fly and the sun shines on the sea

CHORUS Ain't no inland boy, I'm a coastal kid / Hey what's the point If I ain't getting wet / While cruising ‘round on my kayak or out there on my Hobie Cat / Drop those rudders down and sheet that jib / I'm a coastal kid

Got a grouper on my spear and he looks so damn delicious / I can't wait to get this baby on the fire / Then we'll break out the beach chairs and watch the evening sun go down / And an encore of the full moon on the rise / This little band of golden sand is where I call my home / Where the water stretches out to touch the sky / REPEAT CHORUS

This salty sea's one big blue margarita / And my sail an umbrella in that drink / Sail into that setting sun / Flying hulls til the day is done / There's no place on earth I'd rather be

 

HERE YOU COME, THERE I GO I've always been such a logical guy / Aimed low and never got high / Now I'm feeling drunk and I ain't had a drop / Folks are wondering what's up / I can't explain it / All I know is here you come / And there I go

There I go tripping over my tongue / And every single word comes out wrong / I try my best to fake being cool / And wind up acting like this total fool / Now everybody says “Oh, no” / ‘Cause here you come / And there I go

 I tell my heart to listen to my head / Go and find another girl instead / One that doesn't get me acting this way / My heart says “Sorry buddy, no way” / Guess it's over / I'm toast / ‘Cause here you come and there I go / Still can't explain it / All I know is here you come / And there I go

WIDE EYED WONDER On a black and white TV we watched a man land on the moon / Then we blasted off in rocketships from backyards and living rooms / We roamed all through the universe past Jupiter and Mars / As we laid there in the grass and stared up at the stars / Filled with wonder / Wide eyed wonder / Wanting to be just like Neil Armstrong / Wonder, wide eyed wonder / Our eyes were big and our hearts beat loud as thunder / In wide eyed wonder

On roller skates and Schwinns we spent half our life on wheels / We'd race back to the cul de sac when we saw that Bookmobile / As we turned through the pages those stories came to life / We devoured every word, imaginations running wild / Filled with wonder / Wide eyed wonder / When we didn't have to be plugged in to be turned on / Wonder, wide eyed wonder / Living life like one big endless summer / In wide eyed wonder

Then my brother bought a Beetle for seven hundred bucks / AM-FM radio and a rebuilt clutch / One day I sat behind the wheel / He said give this thing a whirl / Then we pulled out of the driveway and out into the world / Filled with wonder / Wide eyed wonder / When 55 was as fast as we could go / We had wonder, wide eyed wonder / That little engine roared as loud as thunder / Wide eyed wonder

We rolled through town with the windows down 'cause we didn't have AC / The hottest way to cool down was down the road at the Dairy Queen / Then we'd race down to the ballpark / Who cares if it was Triple A / To that kid up in the bleachers / Man, those guys could play / Now the world is at our fingertips / All we do is click a mouse / Download this, google that / We can have it all right now / But we're screaming at our microwaves, my God this thing is slow / Gigabytes at the speed of light just don't awe us anymore

The cul-de-sac is empty / The Bookmobile's long gone / The triple A team folded / When the big leagues came to town / That Beetle's in the junkyard / Just another memory / Of a world that once thrilled us / And the way life used to be when we had wonder / Wide eyed wonder / And I wonder where those days have all gone / Wonder / I miss wide eyed wonder / And the little things that make our heart beat loud as thunder / In wide eyed wonder /Those little things made our heart beat loud as thunder/ Wide eyed wonder

 

CAN'T LOOK AWAY FROM YOU You walk in the room / And it's all that I can do to keep my eyes off you / To just look away from you / And as you take my hand / I wonder if you can see right through my soul / And hear my heart beating out of control / For just a moment let's imagine that the world ain't waiting outside that door / Kill the lights, close the curtain, let the night take us where we never been before / ‘Cause I love you / I love you / Baby, I really do

Unquenchable desire / Passion like fire / Two hearts intertwined / Tonight's all yours and mine / I've waited for so long to wind up where I belong / Right here with you / You made my dream come true / I'm a singer, I'm a dreamer, I'm a lover when I'm laying here by your side / And every second, every minute, every hour I want to make you glad you're mine / ‘Cause girl I love you

Here I am once again just a man who never really had a clue / How in the world did I wind up with the girl that I'm singing this song to / You walk in the room / And it's all that I can do to keep my eyes off you / To just look away from you / Can't keep my eyes off you / And I can't look away from you

 

CRAZY WORLD I heard about this primitive tribe that used to talk to trees / Now I walk into a sports bar, and they're screaming at TVs / They say you can't stop progress but I'm not so sure of that / You want to see primitive, check out that Raiders fan / He's flipping off the Chargers and cussing out the ref / Hey dude it's just preseason, and the game ain't started yet

Welcome to this crazy world spinning around the sun / Are we savages or civilized / You tell me which one / Have we really come that far when it's all said and done / In this wild, wacky, crazy world spinning around the sun

So much for Dick and Jane , now “Heather Has Two Mommies” / And with all this talk of the Taliban I kind of miss the commies / There's CNN and NBC but I just “CBS” / Keeping up wears me down I must confess / In this fast changing rearranging age we're living in / I try to blend in with the scenery, but I still ain't fitting in / My toaster's gone digital, my dashboard has a voice / Turn on my radio and all I hear is noise / From urban thugs to rich kids everybody wants to rap / From the music to the talk shows why is everyone so mad? / Left hates right, right hates left, left says right is wrong / Bet they both agree I'm nuts when they hear this song

Whirl and twirl, crazy world, another day goes by / Why take life so seriously whent we can't get out alive / We're all in this together why not make this work / In this wild, wacky, crazy world , this place called planet earth

Things are getting hot down here and some say we're to blame / From California wildfires to Florida hurricanes / There's a hole up in the ozone way and far away from here / The polar caps are melting / How am I gonna ice my beer? / If these tides keep rising higher guess I'll have to go / I'll hop aboard my Hobie Cat and sail to Idaho / Some radical is out there plotting my demise / ‘Cause he couldn't quite convert me when those planes fell from the skies / He's got evil in his heart and hatred in his eyes / His mama should've spanked him ‘cause he never did play nice / So what if I love Jesus, so what if I were a Jew / Last time I checked they looked a lot like me and you

Welcome to our crazy world spinning around the sun / Where kooks would love to kick my butt from here to kingdom come / Someone ought to show those guys how to have some fun / In this wild, wacky, crazy world spinning around the sun

Don't we all look crazy in Starbucks on our cells / Gadgets in our eardrums talking to ourselves / Look around this crazy world that ancient tribe is gone / But we're still talking to the trees, yapping on the phone / Guess we'll always be this way until our days our done / In this wild, wacky, crazy world spinning around the sun / Hey Raider man and Charger fans, let's all have some fun / In this wild, wacky, crazy world spinning around the sun

SOUTH OF THE BORDER AGAIN (PART TWO) It's SPF 30 splashed across my skin / Every time I catch a whiff of that scent / I know I'm south of the border, south of the border again / South of the border, south of the border again / It's hopping on my boat and riding the Cortez wind / It's ocean spray off the bow and salt on my skin / Means I'm south of the border, south of the border again / South of the border, south of the border again / It's homemade tortillas, chiles, rice and beans / A couple more tacos and another Pacifico please / I'm south of the border, south of the border again / South of the border, south of the border again

South of the border / Back where I belong / You can see it on my face / You can hear it in my song / Man, it's good to be back home

It's Los Tigres del Norte on an AM radio / Blaring from a rusty old pickup down by the shore / South of the border, south of the border again / South of the border, south of the border again / It's Pelican Island , San Pedro and Tiburon / It's shrimp boats and pangas and seagulls tagging along / South of the border, south of the border again / South of the border, south of the border again

South of the border / Back on the beach / Baja horizon just barely out of reach / Her silouhette calls out to me / It's watching the sun go down from a lone sand dune / Picking up my guitar and singing you this tune / From south of the border, south of the border again / South of the border, south of the border again

 

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