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).
Who's Gonna Build Your Wall
Tom Russell Lyrics
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Right outside my door
There's minute men in little pick up trucks
Who've declared their own damn war
Now the government wants to build
A barrier like old Berlin 8 feet tall
But if uncle Sam sends the illegals home
Who's gonna build the wall?
Who's gonna mow your lawn?
Who's gonna cook your Mexican food
When your Mexican maid is gone?
Who's gonna wax the floors tonight
Down at the local mall?
Who's gonna wash your baby's face?
Who's gonna build your wall?
Now I ain't got no politics
So don't lay that rap on me
Left wing, right wing, up wing, down wing
I see strip malls from sea to shining sea
It's the fat cat white developer
Who's created this whole damn squall
It's a pyramid scheme of dirty jobs
And who's gonna build your wall?
Who's gonna build your wall boys?
Who's gonna mow your lawn?
Who's gonna cook your Mexican food
When your Mexican maid is gone?
Who's gonna wax the floors tonight
Down at the local mall?
Who's gonna wash your baby's face?
Who's gonna build your wall?
We've got fundamentalist Moslem's
We've got fundamentalist Jews
We've got fundamentalist Christians
They'll blow the whole thing up for you
But as I travel around this big old world
There's one thing that I most fear
It's a white man in a golf shirt
With a cell phone in his ear
Who's gonna build your wall boys?
Who's gonna mow your lawn?
Who's gonna cook your Mexican food
When your Mexican maid is gone?
Who's gonna wax the floors tonight
Down at the local mall?
Who's gonna wash your baby's face?
Who's gonna build your wall?
In Tom Russell's song "Who's Gonna Build Your Wall," he paints a picture of the reality of the issue of illegal immigration and the proposed solution of building a wall along the US-Mexico border. He starts the song by acknowledging the 800 miles of open border outside his door and the minute men who have declared their own war on illegal immigrants. The government's proposed solution is to build a wall that resembles the old Berlin Wall, which is eight feet tall. However, the question that Russell poses through the song is if the government sends the illegals home, who will build the wall?
He goes on to highlight the jobs that immigrants do that white Americans don't want to do themselves. These jobs include mowing lawns, cooking Mexican food, waxing floors at the local mall, and washing babies' faces. The song's message is that the economy depends on the labor of immigrants, and if the government sends them home, the economy will suffer. The song's repetition of the question, "Who's gonna build your wall?" emphasizes the point that the wall is not a viable solution to the problem of illegal immigration.
Additionally, Russell touches on the fact that the issue of illegal immigration is not just a Mexican problem but a universal one. As he travels around the world, he encounters fundamentalist Muslims, Jews, and Christians, who are capable of destroying the world old world. However, the most significant danger he fears is a white man wearing a golf shirt with a cell phone in his ear. Russell's song highlights that the issue of illegal immigration is complex and cannot be solved with a simple solution like building a wall.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got 800 miles of open border
I live close to the border and it's not guarded properly.
Right outside my door
The border is so close to me that it feels like it's right outside my door.
There's minute men in little pick up trucks
There are people calling themselves 'minute men' and patrolling the border on their own.
Who've declared their own damn war
These people are trying to fight a 'war' against illegal immigration.
Now the government wants to build
The government wants to construct a barrier.
A barrier like old Berlin 8 feet tall
The barrier will be similar to the Berlin Wall and will be 8 feet tall.
But if uncle Sam sends the illegals home
If the US government deports illegal immigrants,
Who's gonna build the wall?
Who will build the wall if the very people being targeted for deportation are the ones who would build it?
Now I ain't got no politics
I don't have any political affiliation.
So don't lay that rap on me
Don't try to pin a political stance on me.
Left wing, right wing, up wing, down wing
I don't follow any particular political ideology.
I see strip malls from sea to shining sea
I see a lot of commercial development throughout the country.
It's the fat cat white developer
Rich white men are the ones who benefit the most from this economic system.
Who's created this whole damn squall
They're the ones who caused this whole mess.
It's a pyramid scheme of dirty jobs
The American economy relies on cheap, low-paying jobs that nobody else wants to do.
And who's gonna build your wall?
Again, who is going to build the proposed wall if the very people who might be hired for this job are now being targeted for deportation?
We've got fundamentalist Moslem's
There are Muslim extremists who pose a threat.
We've got fundamentalist Jews
There are Jewish extremists who pose a threat too.
We've got fundamentalist Christians
There are Christian extremists who pose a threat as well.
They'll blow the whole thing up for you
These extremists can cause destruction and chaos.
But as I travel around this big old world
As I navigate my way through different countries and cultures,
There's one thing that I most fear
There's one thing that scares me the most.
It's a white man in a golf shirt
It's the image of a wealthy white man who appears to be out of touch with reality.
With a cell phone in his ear
This man seems more concerned with his phone than with the world around him.
Who's gonna build your wall boys?
Again, who will build the wall if the very people being targeted for deportation are the ones who would build it?
Who's gonna mow your lawn?
Who will take care of your lawn if the people who typically do that work are deported?
Who's gonna cook your Mexican food
Who will make the food that many Americans enjoy if the people from those cultures are being deported?
When your Mexican maid is gone?
Who will take care of your home if the people who typically do that work are deported?
Who's gonna wax the floors tonight
Who will take care of the mundane tasks that keep our society running smoothly?
Down at the local mall?
Who will do the retail and service work that many Americans rely on?
Who's gonna wash your baby's face?
Who will take care of the most vulnerable in our society if the people who typically do this work are deported?
Who's gonna build your wall?
This question remains unanswered because the proposed solution isn't really a solution at all.
Writer(s): Tom Russell
Contributed by Blake L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.