In the 1980s Russell made four albums credited to the Tom Russell Band. These featured Andrew Hardin and accordionist Fats Kaplin.
In the 1990s Russell made a number of solo albums, collaborated with blues singer Barrence Whitfield on two albums, and also recorded an acoustic album mixing original material with his favorite cowboy-themed songs. His albums include several guest appearances from other folk, country, and Americana artists, such as Chris Gaffney and Dave Alvin. His song "Outbound Plane", co-written with Nanci Griffith, became a Top Ten country hit for Suzy Bogguss. His most significant album from this period is the 1999 folk opera, The Man From God Knows Where.
His more recent albums include "Blood and Candle Smoke" (2009) and "Mesabi" (2011).
Gallo De Cielo
Tom Russell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No money in his pocket, just a locket of his sister framed in gold
He rode into El Sueco, stole a rooster called Gallo Del Cielo
Then he swam the Rio Grande with that fighter nestled
Deep beneath his arm.
El Gallo Del Cielo was a rooster born in heaven so the legends say
His wings they had been broken, he had one eye
Rollin' crazy in his head
And he'd fought a hundred fights, and the legends say
That one night near El Sueco
They'd fought Gallo seven times, and seven times he'd
Left brave roosters dead.
Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in San Antonio
I have 27 dollars and the good luck of your picture
Framed in gold
Tonight I'll put it all on the fighting spurs of Gallo Del Cielo
And then I'll return to buy the land Villa stole
From father long ago.
Outside of San Diego, in the onion fields of Paco Monteverde
The Pride of San Diego lay sleeping on a fancy bed of silk
And they laughed when Zaragoza pulled the one-eyed
Del Cielo from beneath his coat
But they cried when Zaragoza walked away with a
Thousand dollar bill.
Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in Santa Barbara
I have fifteen hundred dollars and the good luck of
Your picture framed in gold
Tonight I'll put it all on the fighting spurs of Gallo Del Cielo
And then I'll return to buy the land Villa stole
From father long ago.
Now the moon has gone to hiding and the lantern light
Spills shadows on a fighting sand
Where a wicked black named Zorro faces Gallo del Cielo in the night
But Carlos Zaragoza fears the tiny crack that runs across his rooster's beak
And he fears he has lost the fifty thousand dollars riding on the fight.
Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in Santa Clara
Yes, the money's on the table, I am holding to
Your good luck framed in gold
And everything we've dreamed of is riding on the spurs of Del Cielo
I pray that I'll return to buy the land Villa stole from father long ago.
Then the signal it was given, and the cocks rose
Together far above the sand
El Gallo del Cielo sunk a gaff into Zorro's shiny breast
They were separated quickly but they rose and fought
Each other thirty seven times
And the legends say that everyone agreed that del Cielo fought the best.
Then the screams of Zaragoza 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 Zaragoza screamed a curse upon the
Bones of Pancho Villa
When Zorro rose up one last time and drove del
Cielo through the sand.
Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking 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
And I'll not return to buy the land Villa stole from
Father long ago.
Do the rivers still run muddy outside of my beloved
Casas Grandes?
Oes the scar upon my brother's face turn red when
He hears mention of my name?
Do the people of El Sueco curse the theft of Gallo del Cielo?
Well, tell my family not to worry, I will not return
To cause them shame.
The song "Gallo del Cielo" by Tom Russell featuring Joe Ely tells the story of a man named Carlos Zaragoza who leaves his hometown of Casas Grandes with just a locket of his sister framed in gold and heads towards the United States border with a stolen rooster called Gallo Del Cielo. According to the legend, Gallo Del Cielo was a rooster born in heaven with broken wings and one eye. He had fought in hundreds of battles and had won them all. Zaragoza puts all his money on Gallo's fight and dreams of returning to buy his family's land that Villa had stolen from them. The song culminates in the final fight between Gallo Del Cielo and Zorro where Gallo was triumphant but suffered a fatal injury, leaving Zaragoza heartbroken.
The lyrics of the song are an excellent example of Tom Russell's storytelling ability. The song manages to capture the raw emotions of a man fighting for his dreams and for his land, which he longs to buy back. The lyrics are metaphorical and symbolize the grit, valor, and struggles of people who leave their homes to make a life for themselves. The story of Gallo Del Cielo becomes a metaphorical representation of Zaragoza's own fight for survival in a new world.
Line by Line Meaning
Carlos Zaragoza left his home in Casas Grandes when the moon was full
Carlos Zaragoza left his hometown when the moon was full
No money in his pocket, just a locket of his sister framed in gold
He had nothing but his sister's locket framed in gold
He rode into El Sueco, stole a rooster called Gallo Del Cielo
He stole a famous rooster named Gallo Del Cielo in El Sueco
Then he swam the Rio Grande with that fighter nestled
Deep beneath his arm.
He swam across the Rio Grande river holding the rooster tightly
El Gallo Del Cielo was a rooster born in heaven so the legends say
His wings they had been broken, he had one eye
Rollin' crazy in his head
And he'd fought a hundred fights, and the legends say
That one night near El Sueco
They'd fought Gallo seven times, and seven times he'd
Left brave roosters dead.
El Gallo Del Cielo was a legendary rooster with wings broken, one crazy eye, and a history of winning a hundred fights including seven near El Sueco.
Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in San Antonio
I have 27 dollars and the good luck of your picture
Framed in gold
Tonight I'll put it all on the fighting spurs of Gallo Del Cielo
And then I'll return to buy the land Villa stole
From father long ago.
He had 27 dollars and his lover Theresa's locket framed in gold; he planned to bet it all on Gallo Del Cielo in hopes of winning back his father's land that was stolen by Villa.
Outside of San Diego, in the onion fields of Paco Monteverde
The Pride of San Diego lay sleeping on a fancy bed of silk
And they laughed when Zaragoza pulled the one-eyed
Del Cielo from beneath his coat
But they cried when Zaragoza walked away with a
Thousand dollar bill.
He showed off Gallo Del Cielo to the people of Paco Monteverde who laughed at it, but they cried when Zaragoza won a thousand dollars betting on it.
Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in Santa Barbara
I have fifteen hundred dollars and the good luck of
Your picture framed in gold
Tonight I'll put it all on the fighting spurs of Gallo Del Cielo
And then I'll return to buy the land Villa stole
From father long ago.
He now had $1,500 and again planned to bet it all on the rooster, hoping to win back his father's land.
Now the moon has gone to hiding and the lantern light
Spills shadows on a fighting sand
Where a wicked black named Zorro faces Gallo del Cielo in the night
But Carlos Zaragoza fears the tiny crack that runs across his rooster's beak
And he fears he has lost the fifty thousand dollars riding on the fight.
Zorro and Gallo del Cielo are fighting at night, and Zaragoza fears a crack in the rooster's beak might result in losing the $50,000 bet he made on the fight.
Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in Santa Clara
Yes, the money's on the table, I am holding to
Your good luck framed in gold
And everything we've dreamed of is riding on the spurs of Del Cielo
I pray that I'll return to buy the land Villa stole from father long ago.
Zaragoza has bet everything on Gallo del Cielo, including Theresa's locket, in hopes of winning back his father's land.
Then the signal it was given, and the cocks rose
Together far above the sand
El Gallo del Cielo sunk a gaff into Zorro's shiny breast
They were separated quickly but they rose and fought
Each other thirty seven times
And the legends say that everyone agreed that del Cielo fought the best.
During the fight, Gallo del Cielo and Zorro rise up above the fighting sand and fought each other thirty seven times; Gallo del Cielo was victorious.
Then the screams of Zaragoza 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 Zaragoza screamed a curse upon the
Bones of Pancho Villa
When Zorro rose up one last time and drove del
Cielo through the sand.
Despite winning the fight, Gallo del Cielo's beak was broken within Zaragoza's hand, causing him to curse Pancho Villa and Zorro when they killed Gallo Del Cielo.
Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking 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
And I'll not return to buy the land Villa stole from
Father long ago.
Zaragoza has lost the bet and his only remaining possession, Theresa's locket; he buried it along with Gallo del Cielo and won't return home.
Do the rivers still run muddy outside of my beloved
Casas Grandes?
He wonders if the rivers still run muddy in his hometown.
Oes the scar upon my brother's face turn red when
He hears mention of my name?
He wonders if his brother still gets mad when he hears his name.
Do the people of El Sueco curse the theft of Gallo del Cielo?
Well, tell my family not to worry, I will not return
To cause them shame.
He wonders if the people of El Sueco still curse him for stealing Gallo del Cielo but assures his family he won't return to cause them more shame.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: TOM RUSSELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind