Joe Ely~Gallo del Cielo

Iron Horse Pub Wichita Falls 041908

Carlos Saragosa left his home in Casas Grandes when the moon was full
He had no money in his pocket, just a locket of his sister framed in Gold
He headed for el Sueco, stole a rooster named Gallo Del Cielo
Then he crossed the Rio Grande with that roosted nestled deep within his arm

Galllo del Cielo was a warrior born in heaven so the legends say
His wings they had been broken, he had one eye rollin crazy in his head
He'd fought a hundred fights and the legends say that one night near El Sueco
He fought Cielo seven times, seven times he left brave roosters dead

Hola my Teresa I'm thinkin of you now in San Antonio
I have 27 dollars and the good luck of your good luck of your picture framed in gold
Tonight I'll put it all on the fighting spurs of Gallo Del Cielo
Then I'll return to buy the land Pancho Villa stole from father long ago

Outside of San Diego in the Onion fields of Paco Monte Verde
The Pride of San Diego lay sleeping on a fancy bed of silk
Adn they laughed when Saragosa pulled the one-eyed Del Cielo from beneath his shirt
But they cried when Saragosa waked away with a thousand dollar bill

Hola my Teresa I'm thinkin of you now in Santa Barbara
I have 27 dollars and the good luck of your good luck of your picture framed in gold
Tonight I'll put it all on the fighting spurs of Gallo Del Cielo
Then I'll return to buy the land Pancho Villa stole from father long ago

Now the moon has gone to hiding and the lantern light spills shadows on the fighting sand
A wicked black named Zorro faces Del Cielo in the sand
And Carlos Saragosa fears the tiny crack that runs across his roosters beak
And he fears that he has lost the 50,000 dollars riding on the fight

Hola my Teresa I'm thinkin of you now in Santa Clara
The money's on the table, I'm holding now your good luck framed in gold
Everything we dream of is riding on the spurs of Del Cielo
Then I'll return to buy the land Pancho Villa stole from father long ago

The signal it was given and the roosters rose together far above the sand
Gallo Del Cielo sunk a gaff into Zorro's shiny breast
They were separated quickly but they rose and fought each other time and time again
And the legends all agreed that Gallo Del Cielo fought the best

But then the screams of Saragosa 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 Saragosa screamed a curse upon the bones of Pancho Villa
As Zorro rose up one more time and drove Del Cielo in the sand

Hola my Teresa I'm thinkin 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
I will not return to buy the land that Villa stole long ago

Do the rivers still run muddy outside of my beloved Casas Grandes?
Does the scar upon my brother's face turn red when he hears mention of my name?
And do the people of El Sueco still curse the theft of Gallo Del Cielo?
Tell my family not to worry, I will not return to cause them shame.

Category:

Music

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• ely
• tom
• russell
• gallo
• del
• cielo
• iron
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• texas
• music

[Imissthepostoffice]

So, was Poncho Villa a politician ?

[rocknloretta]

@Imissthepostoffice Poncho Villa was like a Mexican Robinhood wasn't he? Interesting enough wikipedia says he was provisional Governor of CHIHUAHUA 1913 &1914...go figure. Joe loves that little yappy dawg stuff~;)

[zoedj]

my dad an i love this song, we listen to it on long road trips, what a awesome story.... teller.....

[rocknloretta]

@zoedj Sorry so long! That's a VERY cool story in and of itself...your are so lucky to have a special song between you and your dad. And you are sooo right...some of us never get tired of hearing Joe tell the same story...over and over........and over ~;)

[wldcat57]

Joe does this Tom Russell song so well every time I hear it, I shed a tear. Thanks for posting this great song.

[MrMdr96]

@zoedj yeah a true english corrido....in mexican music a corrido is a song that tells a story like this 1...truely an amazing song...as jason boland put it..this is the greatest song ever written

[MrPanheadman]

Can't find it on you tube,but Gallo del Cielo by Ian Tyson on the disc Old Corral and Sagebrush is THE BEST.I listen to this all the time and viva los GALLOS.

[jdema28646]

viva los gallos!!

[HeyCro]

Good version of this song. Check out a post about Gallo del Celo at the music blog Nightly Song.

[maclooker]

My favorite Joe ely song