Sonora's Death Row
Leo Kottke Lyrics

Mescal is free in Amanda's saloon for the boys from the old Broken Hole
Amanda's saloon offers free mescal to boys from Old Broken Hole.

Saturday nights in the town of Sonora are the best in all Mexico
People believe that Saturday nights in Sonora are the most enjoyable compared to everywhere else in Mexico.

They've got guitars and trumpets and sweet senoritas who won't want to let you go
Sonora offers fantastic entertainment with great music and attractive ladies.

You'd never believe such a happy town had a street called Sonora's death row
Despite Sonora's jovial atmosphere, there is still a place dubbed 'Sonora's death row', which is quite unexpected.

Inside Amanda's we were all dancing with six of Amanda's gals
The people in Amanda's saloon were all dancing with Amanda's six female employees.

I won some silver at 7-card stud so I was outdoing my pals
The singer won some money at a gambling game, and it was more than what his friends had won.

But the whiskey and mescal and peso cigars drove me outside for some air
The singer went outside to get some fresh air due to the effects of drinking alcohol and smoking expensive cigars.

Somebody whispered "Your life or your money," I reached but my gun wasn't there
Someone threatened to take the artist's life or money, but he couldn't defend himself because he couldn't find his gun.

I woke up face down in Amanda's back alley, aware of the fool I had been
The artist regained consciousness in Amanda's back alley, realizing how foolish he had been.

Rushed to a saddle and grabbed someone's rifle and entered Amanda's again
The artist went to get a rifle and returned to Amanda's saloon with it.

Where I saw my partners twirling my pistol and throwing my money around
When the singer returned to Amanda's, he saw his friends playing around with his gun and throwing his money.

Blinded by anger, I jacked the lever and one of them fell to the ground
The artist, overcome with rage, used his rifle to shoot and kill one of his friends.

Amanda's got silent like night in the desert, my friends stared in pure disbelief
Amanda's saloon became dead silent, and the singer's friends were in shock.

Amanda was kneeling beside the dead cowboy plainly expressing her grief
Amanda was beside the dead cowboy, displaying her sorrow for his death.

And as I bowed my head a tremble shot through me, my pistol was still at my side
The singer was remorseful and nervous, even though he still had his pistol with him.

I felt my pockets and there was my money, I fell to my knees and I cried
The artist found his money in his pocket, and he knelt down and cried.

A nightmare of mescal was all that it was, no one had robbed me at all
The artist's experience was all due to a mescal-induced nightmare, and no one had robbed him.

I wish I was dreaming the sound of the gallows they're testing just outside the wall
The singer would rather be dreaming the sound of the gallows they are testing outside, than having to experience what he did.

And the mescal's still free in Amanda's saloon for the boys from the old Broken Hole
Boys from Old Broken Hole can still get free mescal at Amanda's saloon.

I'd pay a ransom to drink there today and be free of Sonora's death row
The artist would be willing to pay anything to drink at Amanda's saloon today and avoid Sonora's death row.