South of the Border
Willie Nelson & Family Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

South of the border down Mexico way
That's where I fell in love when stars above came out to play
Now as I wander my thoughts ever stray south of the border down Mexico way
She was a picture in old Spanish lace
And for a tender while I kissed the smile opon her face
For it was Fiesta we were so gay south of the border down Mexico way
And she smiled and she whispered Manana
Never dreaming that we were parting
And I lied and I whispered Manana for our tomorrow never came
South of the border I rode back one day
There in a veil of white by candlelight she knelt to pray
And the mission bells told me that I mustn't stay
South of the border down Mexico way





Ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay
Ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "South of the Border" tell a story of a love affair that blossomed in Mexico. The singer reminisces about the time he fell in love with a woman in Mexico under the stars. She was wearing old Spanish lace, and they kissed while celebrating Fiesta. They made promises to each other for tomorrow, but sadly, it never came to be. The singer rode back one day and saw his love kneeling down to pray, and he knew he could not stay in Mexico. The mission bells served as a reminder that he had to leave "South of the Border down Mexico way."


The song captures the theme of unrequited love, the fleeting nature of life, and the betrayal of promises. The singer had high hopes and dreams of tomorrow with his love, but he was let down. He now looks back and reflects on the love he had, knowing he can never return to that moment or experience it again.


Line by Line Meaning

South of the border down Mexico way
I fell in love in Mexico, south of the U.S. border


That's where I fell in love when stars above came out to play
I fell in love under the stars in Mexico


Now as I wander my thoughts ever stray south of the border down Mexico way
I often think about Mexico and the love I found there


She was a picture in old Spanish lace
She looked beautiful in traditional Spanish lace clothing


And for a tender while I kissed the smile opon her face
I kissed her and made her smile during a sweet moment together


For it was Fiesta we were so gay south of the border down Mexico way
We enjoyed ourselves during a Mexican fiesta


And she smiled and she whispered Manana
She said 'tomorrow' with a smile on her face, without realizing we were saying goodbye


Never dreaming that we were parting
She had no idea we were saying goodbye forever


And I lied and I whispered Manana for our tomorrow never came
I also said 'tomorrow,' but I knew we would never see each other again


South of the border I rode back one day
I returned to Mexico one day


There in a veil of white by candlelight she knelt to pray
I saw her praying in a white veil by candlelight


And the mission bells told me that I mustn't stay
The mission bells reminded me that I had to leave and couldn't stay with her


South of the border down Mexico way
This all happened in Mexico, south of the U.S. border


Ay ay ay ay ay ay ay ay
This is often used in Mexican music as an expression of emotion or excitement




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: JIMMY KENNEDY, MICHAEL CARR

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Brian Kors

I don't know if it gets any better than this. This is pure Willie, musically and spiritually.

Kenny’s Junk

So glad someone is sharing these videos somewhere! This is one of my favorite acoustic performances of all time!

Cat Ortiz

This is just what I needed. So beautiful. Thank you 🙏🏼

H. Johnson

Love it!

E

Does anybody have any tabs or any clue what Jackie plays for his run at 1:05

Bob Bauer

sounds like double stops on a major pentatonic scale. but hey, i could be wrong

Willie Nelson Tunes

Willie and Jackie have officially "Schooled" those fish in the river....😀

Алексей Алешинский

Душевненько.... 2:19

anella d'ambrosio

Amo questa canzone!bellissimo video! 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩😍🤩😘🎶🎸🎶💘♥️💔💯💋🌹

Frank scandle

Thank u for music
😮❤

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