Desert Rose

She was born at the wrong time
On the wrong side of the line
But she never let it do her any harm
Tough but sweet
Quick on her feet
She talked her way through Juarez on her charm
But with looks that might kill
And even more charming still
The young man won her over at first sight
They danced so very close
He called her «Desert Rose»
And her ever closer through the night
He said «Espera, mi amor
«It won’t be long before
«Everything you dream is at your feet
«You'll never find a love like mine
«And you’ll always be safe with me»
As her belly grew more round
The handsome man left town
She was left alone to sit and wait
She carved a wooden rose
For the baby’s name she chose
And swore her child would never share her fate
And one night she left it all
Wrapped in her mother’s shawl
She headed for the lights across the line
El Paso wasn’t far
But she stumbled in the dark
As the pain inside her body made her blind
She said «Espera, mi amor
«It won’t be long before
«Everything you dream is at your feet
«You'll never find a love like mine
«And always be safe with me»
They found her lying on the floor
Bleeding by the door
Of the train station’s public bathroom stall
She held her daughter close
Her little desert rose
As the El Paso sun lit up the depot walls
And she said «Espera, mi amor
«It won’t be long before
«Everything you dream is at your feet
«You'll never find a love like mine
«And always be safe with me»