Slaid Cleaves’ music is marked by both the quirky blend of isolated eccentricity and steely resilience of his Yankee upbringing and the weathered soul of Texas, the state he has called home for over a decade now. First registering on the national folk scene by winning the Kerrville Folk Festival’s New Folk competition in 1992, Cleaves released his national debut No Angel Knows (Philo/Rounder) in 1997, following a string of self-released albums and many nights logged in folk clubs as both a performer and a soundman. Met with effusive critical praise, No Angel Knows was followed by Broke Down (Philo/Rounder) in 2000, which expanded his audience exponentially by virtue of its exceedingly well-crafted songs and rugged Gurf Morlix production. In addition to the title track, a Rod Picott collaboration that won Song of the Year at the Austin Music Awards in 2001, Broke Down featured a couple of interpretations of other writers’ songs prefiguring Slaid’s later work, including a poignant reading of fellow Austinite Karen Poston’s “Lydia.”
Following Broke Down came 2004’s Wishbones (Philo/Rounder), a richly detailed exploration of life’s darker corners where still a ray of hope somehow shines. Wishbones climbed to the top of the Americana Radio chart coming in at #1 for 2004 while Slaid toured relentlessly promoting the album. It was after the recording of Wishbones that Cleaves began to consider the endeavor that became Unsung. “Over the years,” Cleaves explains, “as I grew as a songwriter, my songs began to make up the bulk of my sets. But I continued to throw in the odd song by a hero or friend, both in my shows and on the records I made. I did that partly out of tribute to my influences, but also to give my set, or album, some context and some variety.” These are songs from the songwriter trenches – compositions Cleaves first heard at late-night song-swaps, open-mic nights, during downtime at recording sessions, and on modest self-released CDs. Thanks to the work of producers David Henry and Rod Picott (a long-time Cleaves cohort and fellow Mainer), the performances and backdrops on Unsung are as evocative and captivating as the songs themselves. Cleaves’ gifts as an interpreter are such that the line between singer and song vanish completely.
"Cleaves tells gorgeously compact stories in a voice packed with Texas trail dust." -- Entertainment Weekly
"...one of the finest singer-songwriters in Texas." -- Neil Strauss, The New York Times
borderline
Slaid Cleaves Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Armando walks all alone
And the river ahead holds promise and dread
And he's 900 miles from his home.
He pays the coyotes,
Dodges La Migra
Walks for 400 days.
When he finally hits Austin
But he takes what the contractor pays.
When the love for family is stronger than fear
When the desperation sets in,
A man will cross any line that is drawn
And who's to say its a sin.
And he crossed himself at the borderline.
He wired the dollars to Elena back home
as he roomed with 10 desperate men.
When the builders had enough, the INS cuffed him
And its back to the border again.
A tearful reunion with family and friends,
but soon the reality sets in.
There's no work to be found in the dry desert ground,
He must head for Estados again.
From Guadalajara come a man with no name,
He said you can have all that you need,
There's no contract to sign but the terms are your life,
If you take my money and seed.
When the love for family is stronger than fear,
When the desperation sets in.
A man will cross any line that is drawn
And who's to say it's a sin,
And he crossed himself at the borderline.
Payments were made, the seed it was sown
Armondo watched the crop grow,
Even his brother-in-law in the army
was in on the plan from the go.
Seven months gone, and the crop gathered in
But the brother has a plan of his own
He orders a raid, the army invades
He takes what the village has grown.
In from the west came the man with no name,
He said someone must pay with their life
We know your brothers, your father, your mother,
Your children, your sister, your wife
Now we cannot touch your sister's young husband
Tu Cunao is a military man
But you can decide who lives and who dies
And he placed the gun in his hand.
When the love for family is stronger than fear
When the desperation sets in
A man will cross any line that is drawn
And who's to say its a sin,
And he crossed himself at the borderline.
In the still of the desert in the light of the moon,
Armando walks all alone.
And the river ahead
Holds promise and dread
And he's 900 miles from his home.
Slaid Cleaves's song "Borderline" tells a poignant story of a man named Armando who crosses the border illegally from Mexico into the United States in search of work to provide for his family. Armando pays a coyote (a human smuggler) and dodges La Migra (Border Patrol) to walk for 400 days through the harsh desert to reach Austin, Texas. Despite the boomtown being busting, Armando takes whatever the contractor pays to support his loved ones back home. The lyrics convey the desperation and sacrifice that Armando makes to protect his family's well-being, as he crosses any line that is drawn.
However, Armando's journey takes a tragic turn when he is eventually caught by the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) and deported back to Mexico. Feeling defeated, he decides to take a risky job offer from a stranger without a name that leads him to plant crops in a small village. He later discovers that his brother-in-law, who was in the army, is also involved in the scheme. When the army raids the village and takes what the villagers have grown, the stranger with no name arrives, threatening to harm Armando's family unless he decides who will live and who will die. In a heartbreaking moment, Armando chooses to shoot his own brother-in-law, who was part of the raiding party, to protect his sister's husband.
The lyrics of "Borderline" explore themes of love, sacrifice, and the lengths that people will go to for their family. It shines a light on the complexities of cross-border migration, the exploitation of migrant workers, and the risks they face. Slaid Cleaves's song serves as a reminder of the human cost of U.S. immigration policy and the struggles that many people face in search of a better life.
Line by Line Meaning
In the still of the desert, in the light of the moon
In the quiet, isolated desert at night
Armando walks all alone
Armando is walking by himself
And the river ahead holds promise and dread
The river in front of him offers both hope and fear
And he's 900 miles from his home.
Armando is very far from home
He pays the coyotes,
Armando pays the coyotes to help guide him
Dodges La Migra
He avoids the immigration authorities
Walks for 400 days.
He walks for an extended period of time
When he finally hits Austin
When he arrives in Austin
The boomtown is busting
The city is overcrowded and experiencing problems
But he takes what the contractor pays.
He accepts the payment offered by the contractor
When the love for family is stronger than fear
When the desire to help one's family is greater than the fear of danger
When the desperation sets in,
When someone becomes very desperate
A man will cross any line that is drawn
A person might do anything to achieve their goal
And who's to say its a sin.
And who can determine if it's morally wrong
And he crossed himself at the borderline.
And Armando crosses himself before crossing the border
He wired the dollars to Elena back home
Armando sends money to Elena, his family back home
as he roomed with 10 desperate men.
While staying with ten other men in a difficult situation
When the builders had enough, the INS cuffed him
When the builders become fed up, the INS arrests him
And its back to the border again.
And he's sent back to the border
A tearful reunion with family and friends,
A very emotional reunion with loved ones
but soon the reality sets in.
But then the harsh reality becomes apparent
There's no work to be found in the dry desert ground,
There are no jobs available in the barren desert
He must head for Estados again.
He needs to go back to the United States
From Guadalajara come a man with no name,
A man with no name comes from Guadalajara
He said you can have all that you need,
This man offers Armando everything he needs
There's no contract to sign but the terms are your life,
There's no written agreement, but the cost is Armando's life
If you take my money and seed.
If Armando takes the money and plants this man's seeds
Payments were made, the seed it was sown
Armando makes the payment and plants the seeds
Armondo watched the crop grow,
Armando observes the crops as they grow
Even his brother-in-law in the army
Even his brother-in-law who's in the military
was in on the plan from the go.
Was involved in the plan from the beginning
Seven months gone, and the crop gathered in
Seven months passed, and the crops were harvested
But the brother has a plan of his own
But his brother has a different plan
He orders a raid, the army invades
His brother orders a military attack
He takes what the village has grown.
The troops seize the crops
In from the west came the man with no name,
The man with no name arrives again
He said someone must pay with their life
He demands someone is killed as payment
We know your brothers, your father, your mother,
We know your entire family
Your children, your sister, your wife
We know everyone in your life
Now we cannot touch your sister's young husband
We can't touch your sister's husband because he's in the military
Tu Cunao is a military man
Tu Cunao is the military man in question
But you can decide who lives and who dies
But you get to choose who lives and dies
And he placed the gun in his hand.
And he gives Armando a gun
And he crossed himself at the borderline.
And Armando crosses himself before crossing the border
In the still of the desert in the light of the moon,
In the quiet, isolated desert at night
Armando walks all alone.
Armando is walking by himself
And the river ahead
The river in front of him
Holds promise and dread
Offers both hope and fear
And he's 900 miles from his home.
Armando is very far from home
Writer(s): Joshua Todd Gruber, Devon Glenn, Keith Nelson, Jonathan Brightman
Contributed by Samuel J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.