The mornings were chilly
The air was crisp
As a Striped or a Red
Or a Golden Delicious
A couple of tortillas
Coffee on the run
By the time the sun came up
We'd have half a bin done
The trees were like temples
Was a holiness to 'em
We'd pick out the bottoms,
Then all the way through 'em
Upon a ladder
Out on a limb
The trees were like temples
I liked being in 'em
Fernando amazed me
He was the quickest 18 bins
In a day he could do
I got 9 once
But that was with big fruit
I only worked as hard as I needed to
Sometimes, though
On the nicest of days
Somebody would whistle
And my friends would run away
They were yelling.
La Migra.
La Migra La Migra viene.
Andele! Andele! Run! Run!
They leapt from their ladders
To the next nearest orchard
Spreading the word
That La Migra was coming
The vans brought 'em in
'Til the bus was all loaded
Sometimes whole families
At least you'd have thought
They'd be back the next week
Up on their ladders
Giving new names
The next time they got caught
Sometimes, though
On the nicest of days
Somebody would whistle
And my friends would run away
They were yelling.
La Migra.
La Migra La Migra viene.
Andele! Andele! Run! Run!
They leapt from their ladders
To the next nearest orchard
Spreading the word
That La Migra was coming
Note: The lyrics to La Migra Viene were copied with Chuck Brodsky's permission. The song is part of his 1998 CD "Radio." To listen to Chuck sing La Migre Viene, click here.