Hills of Old Juarez
Tom Russell Lyrics

I lost my mind ten years ago
Ten years ago, I experienced something that made me lose my sanity.

A wanderin' through the world
During my travels around the world, I was aimless and without direction.

Let's cut right to the quick
Let's get straight to the point.

I met me a dark-eyed girl
I fell in love with a woman who had dark eyes.

I was living in El Paso with a woman named Inez
At that time, I was living in El Paso with a woman named Inez.

We'd stare out every evening
In the evenings, we would look out and gaze at something.

At the hills of old Jaurez
Specifically, we would gaze out at the hills of old Juarez.

Inez she'd had a grand daddy who'd owned the dry good store
Inez's grandfather used to own a dry goods store.

He'd climb up on his roof at night and watch Pancho Villa's war
During Pancho Villa's war, Inez's grandfather would climb onto his roof at night to watch the fighting.

Jack Pershing come with silver guns
General John J. Pershing led an expedition into Mexico in pursuit of Pancho Villa, and his soldiers were armed with silver-plated Winchester rifles.

"For Villa" Granddad said
Inez's grandfather was a supporter of Pancho Villa.

But Pancho he went underground in the hills of old Juarez
Eventually, Pancho Villa had to go into hiding in the hills of old Juarez.

Those rollin' smoky hills of old Juarez
The hills of old Juarez are known for their rolling and smoky appearance.

Those god forsaken hills
The singer believes that the hills of old Juarez are abandoned and without hope.

They will lure you to your death
The hills of old Juarez are dangerous and can lead to a deadly fate.

Beware the dusty hills of old Juarez
The artist warns others to be cautious of the dusty hills of old Juarez.

"There's gold in them there hillsâ??
Some people believe that there is gold to be found in the hills of old Juarez.

So said a man with a broken tooth
The person who claimed there was gold in the hills had a broken tooth.

We could run some cocaine powder
The singer and his associates could smuggle cocaine through the area.

Right on by the custom's booth
They could sneak the cocaine past the customs checkpoint.

I was broke I needed money
The artist was desperate for money at the time.

To pacify Inez
The artist wanted to appease Inez and make her happy.

So I started doing business in the hills of old Jaurez
In order to make some money, the singer began doing business in the hills of old Juarez.

The adrenaline and blood boiled up
The thrill of the dangerous situation made the artist's blood boil with excitement.

Oh man ain't this a rush
The singer feels an adrenaline rush from the danger he is in.

When you're running through the gunfire
The singer had to run through gunfire during his business dealings.

And the Okatio brush
The Okatio brush is a type of vegetation in the area.

My partner was a Tiwa kid straight off of the â??res
The artist's associate was a young Tiwa Native American straight off the reservation.

But he ratted me and disappeared in the hills of old Juarez
Unfortunately, the associate betrayed the artist and disappeared in the hills of old Juarez.

A bullet in my back, a bullet in my leg
The singer was shot in the back and leg during his business dealings.

Bullets flying by my ears they taught me how to pray
The singer was scared for his life and had to pray for safety during the gunfire.

I prayed I'd reach the river bank where I had left Inez
The artist's biggest concern was getting to the river bank where Inez was waiting for him.

But I fell through rock and prickly pear in the hills of old Juarez
Unfortunately, the artist did not make it to the river bank and fell through the rough terrain of the hills of old Juarez.

The Narco Trafficante boys
The Narco Trafficante boys are notorious drug traffickers in the area.

They own the borderline
They have control over the border between Mexico and the United States.

Fat cats up in Washington shit and moan and whine
Rich and powerful people in Washington are unable to stop the drug trafficking problem.

I'm in Huntsville Prison
The singer ended up in Huntsville Prison.

I'm dreaming of Inez
While in prison, the singer longs for Inez and thinks about her often.

She's waiting for me there in the hills of old Juarez
Despite everything that has happened, Inez is still waiting for the singer in the hills of old Juarez.

Those god forsaken hills of old Juarez
Once again, the artist expresses his belief that the hills of old Juarez are abandoned and without hope.