Bullets of Mexico Lyrics
The peons of Mexico long have known suffering and pain
Zapata and Villa have died there, fighting in vain
Ruben Jaramillo kept up the tradition
He fought for the land once again
He lived for the land, and there on the land he was slain
[Chorus]
Forty-five bullet has ended the life
Of a man who had lived by the gun
But all of the bullets of Mexico
Cannot undo all the work that he's done
[Verse 2]
The greedy capiques have stolen and plundered the land
With pistoleros they ruled with a cold iron hand
The poor campesinos could stand it no longer
Resistance was starting to grow
Jaramillo decided to fight for a new Mexico
[Chorus]
Forty-five bullet has ended the life
Of a man who had lived by the gun
But all of the bullets of Mexico
Cannot undo all the work that he's done
For twenty long years he fought and he struggled and tried
Epifania, his wife, always there at his side
Often surrounded, he always was hounded
They searched for him near, far, and wide
A man of deep sorrow, but also a man of deep pride
[Chorus]
Forty-five bullet has ended the life
Of a man who had lived by the gun
But all of the bullets of Mexico
Cannot undo all the work that he's done
[Verse 4]
Two thousand peasants he led to their long-promised land
And the army's revenge killed the wife and the sons and the man
The assassins rejoiced with their whiskey and women
They laughed and they danced on his grave
Now the land waits again for another to ride on the waves
[Chorus]
Forty-five bullet has ended the life
Of a man who had lived by the gun
But all of the bullets of Mexico
Cannot undo all the work that he's done
About
This song was first published in Broadside #14 alongside Viet Nam
This song is about Mexican revolutionary Ruben Jaramillo, most well known for fighting the government in search for land reform and rights for exploited peasants whose land was being stolen.
He started his life working alongside Zapata’s LIberation Army of the South. But soon after he began his own revolutionary movement, in which he was forced on the run into the mountains away from the government. He later settled on an amnesty deal with them. But regardless of this truce in 1945 federal police and soldiers raided his house and ended up killing him alongside his family except one of his daughters who ran away in time. After his death was reported to the world he became a folk hero, with his name still standing as a symbol of justice and revolutionary spirit against the government.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 2.The Thresher
- 4.Lou Marsh
- 6.Celia
- 7.The Bells
- 12.Bound for Glory
- 13.Too Many Martyrs
- 15.Bullets of Mexico
