Permission from composer was granted to display this corrido.

Danger in the Desert © *
Words: Celestino Fernández, P.D.
Music and voice: Guillermo Sáenz


This is how the corrido begins
that I am going to sing now
the desert is very dangerous
it wants to take everyone’s life

The desert becomes dangerous
with the arrival of the heat
listen to this corrido
it will provide the details

It’s not easy being an immigrant
and having to cross illegally
the coyotes will mistreat you
as they mistreat everyone

Neither at night or during the day
is there any relief in the desert
few make it out alive
each year hundreds die

The desert and the heat
are not a good combination
many encounter death
as a result of dehydration

Keep this foremost in your mind
and don’t you forget it
in search of a better life
one can end up dead

As the temperature rises
so does the probability
that immigrants will die
without knowing their identity

Men, women, and children
their remains in the desert
without assistance whatsoever
dead and abandoned

We simply want the immigrant
to listen to us and to understand
it’s not that we do not want you
we simply don’t want you to die

Our goal is to prevent
more deaths in the desert
the risk increases with the heat
you can be certain of that

If you want to live
lend me your ears
as the best defense
is always prevention

Fly, fly little dove
land atop that organ pipe (cactus)
it’s not the same crossing on foot
as riding on a horse

The corrido ends here
but please don’t forget
protect yourself from the heat
if you must cross the desert

Fly, fly little dove
fly all the way to those tall trees
and continue praying to God
for all of the immigrants
© Celestino Fernández
* Original in Spanish; English translation loses the rhyming pattern found in the original.

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