MIS RAICES ESTAN AQUI (My Roots Are Buried Here)
(Billy Liebert / John Mitchum)


John Wayne - 1973


MIS RAICES ESTAN AQUI (My Roots Are Buried Here)
(Billy Liebert / John Mitchum)

John Wayne - 1973



On a trial drive from Texas, down by the Rio Grande
We drove past the Medina, a dry and bitter land
Where before the longhorns streamed along, grass range once was there
Now we herded them in silence with a feeling of despair

The day was hot, the wind was dry, and mesquite barred the way
The maguey and the cactus tried to drain our lives away
We came up to a ranch house dying in the desert sun
Looked the old spread over, couldn't see anyone

Then from the ranch house a man stepped out, he was old beyond his years
A viejo caballero whose eyes filled up with tears
"I have nothing for you, Senores," he said, "My hacienda's empty now
There was a time.....", he shook his head and gave a gentle bow
I asked him why he'd stayed on in a place where hope was dead
He looked up at me and his face grew soft, and this is what he said:
"Mis Raices Estain Aqui!.....My Roots Are Buried Here!"

Now, I've punched cattle from the Rio Grande to the cold Montana plains
And I've pushed 'em through New Mexico, through Arizona rains
I've seen ranchers hanging on when it's been forty-five below
And the thought's always crossed my mind as to why they just don't go
To a place where life is easier and where nature's not so hard
And then the past comes floating back, and I'm in that viejo's yard.
I think of him and his quiet pride and of the things  that he has done
And I know that if men battle back at the snow or the broiling sun
They'll live their responsiblities to the land that they love best
America will proudly stand and in her vigil will not rest
For no matter what may lie ahead, the answer's loud and clear:
"Mis Raices Estain Aqui!.....My Roots Are Buried Here!"






(Contributed by Mel Priddle - July 2012)