Leonardo " Flaco" Jiménez began performing, at the age of seven, with his father, Santiago Jimenez, who was a pioneer of conjunto music and began recording at age fifteen as a member of Los Caporales. He played in the San Antonio area for several years, and then began working with Douglas Sahm in the 1960s. Sahm, better known as the founding member of the Sir Douglas Quintet, played with Jiménez for some time. Flaco then went on to New York City and worked with Dr. John, David Lindley, Peter Rowan, Ry Cooder and Bob Dylan. He appeared on Cooder's world music album Chicken Skin Music and on the Rolling Stones' Voodoo Lounge. This led to greater awareness of his music outside America and, after touring Europe with Ry Cooder, he returned to tour in America with his own band, and on a joint bill with Peter Rowan. Jiménez, Peter Rowan and Wally Drogos were the original members of a band called The Free Mexican Airforce.
Jiménez won a Grammy Award in 1986 for Ay Te Dejo en San Antonio, one of his father's songs. He was also a member of the Tejano fusion group Texas Tornados, with Augie Meyers, Doug Sahm and Freddy Fender. The Texas Tornados won a Grammy Award in 1990, and Jiménez earned one on his own in 1996, when his self-titled album Flaco Jiménez won the Grammy Award for Best Mexican-American Performance. In 1999, Flaco earned another Grammy Award for Best Tejano Performance for Said and Done (released by Barbed Wire Records), and one for Best Mexican-American Performance as a part of supergroup Los Super Seven. Jiménez has also won a Best Video award at the Tejano Music Awards and earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from Billboard Latin Magazine for "Streets of Bakersfield" with Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens.
Jiménez appeared in the movie Picking Up the Pieces, with Woody Allen and Sharon Stone, and also featured on the soundtrack. His music has featured in the soundtrack for other movies such as Y Tu Mamá También, The Border, Tin Cup, and Striptease. The Hohner company collaborated with Jiménez to create the Flaco Jimenez Signature Series of accordions.
His brother, Santiago Jiménez, Jr., is also an accomplished accordionist who has recorded extensively.
Jiménez's latest CD, Ya Volvi De La Guerra, was issued in 2009 by Fiesta Records.
Across The Borderline featuring John Hiatt
FLACO JIMENEZ Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every street is paved with gold
And it's just across the borderline
And when it's time to take your turn
There's a lesson that you must learn
You may lose more than you'll ever hope to find.
And when you reach that broken promised land
You have learned it's too late to change your mind
Cause you pay the price to come so far
Just to wind up where you are
And you're still just across the borderline.
Up and down the rio grande
A thousand foot prints in the sand
Reveal a secret no one can define
The river rolls on like a breath
In between our life and death
Tell me who is next to cross that borderline.
And when you reach that broken promised land
And all your dreams slip though your hand
You'll know it's too late to change your mind
Cause you pay the price to come so far
Just to wind up where you are
And you're still just across the borderline.
“Across the Borderline” is a poignant song with strong themes of hope, loss, and change. The song, written and performed by Flaco Jimenez with John Hiatt, tells the story of a migrant who has heard of a place beyond the border where the streets are paved with gold. Despite the dangers and risks, he sets out to cross the border in search of a better life. However, the journey is not easy, and he learns the hard way that crossing the border does not guarantee success or safety. You may lose more than you'll ever hope to find. Through the vivid imagery of the lyrics and the soulful melody and harmonies, the song communicates the sense of desperation and hopelessness that many immigrants experience.
As the song progresses, the focus shifts to the river Rio Grande, which serves as a physical and symbolic boundary between the migrant’s old and new world. The river represents the many obstacles and challenges that individuals seeking a better life face. It also symbolizes the inexorable force of time and the powerlessness of humans in the face of larger forces. The river rolls on like a breath in between our life and death, Tell me who is next to cross that borderline. The song reminds us that there are untold stories of those who have tried and failed to cross the border and the cost of those who succeeded.
Overall, the song is a powerful meditation on the human experience of hope and loss. It speaks to the desire for a better life, the sacrifices we make along the way, and the profound sense of loss and disappointment when our dreams fall short. It's a beautiful expression of the migrant journey with a universal theme of hope, struggle and loss that transcends the context of the Mexico-US border.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a place, so I've been told,
I've heard that there's a magical place
Every street is paved with gold
Where the streets are said to be made of gold
And it's just across the borderline
But this place is just across the border
And when it's time to take your turn
When it's your time to go there
There's a lesson that you must learn
There's a lesson you need to know
You may lose more than you'll ever hope to find.
You might lose more than you can gain
And when you reach that broken promised land
And when you finally get there
And all your dreams slip though your hand
But your dreams crumble in your hands
You have learned it's too late to change your mind
You discover you can't turn back
Cause you pay the price to come so far
Because you've sacrificed so much to get there
Just to wind up where you are
Only to realize you're still in the same place
And you're still just across the borderline.
You're still just on the other side of the border
Up and down the rio grande
Along the Rio Grande river
A thousand foot prints in the sand
With thousands of footprints in the sand
Reveal a secret no one can define
These footprints hold a mystery no one can explain
The river rolls on like a breath
The river flows like a living thing
In between our life and death
In the space between life and death
Tell me who is next to cross that borderline.
Who will be the next to cross that border?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: James Luther Dickinson, John Robert Hiatt, Ryland Peter Cooder
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
rpetrics
This is the absolute best rendition of this song ever made, and I've heard them all. Not one can compare to Flaco Jimenez and John Hiatt. I love this version. Such heart and feeling.
evensteve284
@Barbi Ferrari Freddy Fender wrote Across the Borderline in 1981.
Aggie Nodari
Hands down. This reminds me when I was young with my beloved wife and her parents. No nlaw stigma here.
George S. Kelly
Try Willie Nelson’s version
Michiel Lombaers
Have you heard Gaby Moreno's version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhqAMytwykY
Barbi Ferrari
It's a John Hiatt song, so...
But Fr. Fender is on par.
Johnny P
Yes:
Willie DeVille, did a really emotional version, probably the most one of all !
RY COODER, JOHN HIATT, JIM DICKINSON actually co wrote/shared music/lyrics to create this wonderful song back in 1981 for a movie with Jack Nicholson called "THE BORDER".
FREDDIE's singing was probably first to hit the microphones but DYLAN also sang it, plus many more...
Mellie Chavez
Flaco is the best singer and accordion player! I had the pleasure of meeting him in Tucson, Ariz. He was invited to play at this small bar & dance place by my brother. I didn't know how famous he was at the time. It was around 1975 or1976. I was not expecting him after he stopped playing to ask me to dance, but he did! I couldn't believe it! One memory that I will never forget!
alfi1704
Wonderful song - wonderful singer - wonderful flaco - thanks for this posting
Peter Clifton
Agreed - THE BEST version, just magic.