Live 28 Aug 1981 version
[Spoken intro:] Thanks. There's a book out now by a guy named Joe Klein and it's called "Woody Guthrie: A Life". (cheers) And uh... it's just a, it's just a real good book and it tells you a lot about, about him, who was about the best, the best songwriter that we ever had... (cheers) a lot about the country that you live in. This is a, this is a Woody Guthrie song. (cheers)
Well the crops are all in, the peaches are rotten
The oranges are piled in their crates so high
They're flying you back to the Mexico border
To spend all your money to wade back again
Now my father's own father he waded that river
They took all the money he made in his life
My brothers and sisters they work in the fruit trees
They drive those old trucks till they take down and die
Well goodbye to my Juan, goodbye Rosalita
Adios mis amigos, Jesus e Maria
Well you won't have a name when you ride the big airplane
All they will call you will be "deportee"
Now some of us are illegal, and others unwanted
Our work contract's out, we have to move on
Six hundred miles to the Mexican border
They chase us like outlaws, rustlers, like thieves
Well we died in the valleys, we've died on the mountains
We've died in the deserts, we've died died on the plains
We've died in the trees and we've died in the bushes
Both sides of that river, we've died just the same
Well goodbye to my Juan, goodbye Rosalita
Adios mis amigos, Jesus e Maria
Well you won't have a name when you ride the big airplane
All they will call you will be "deportee"
Well the sky plane caught fire over Los Gatos Canyon
Like a fireball of lightning that shook all our hills
Well who are these friends who lie scattered like dry leaves
The radio says they are just deportees
Well is this the best way we can grow our great orchards
Is this the best way we can grow all our fruit
To leave 'em scattered, running like dry leaves
To go by no name except "deportees"
Well goodbye to my Juan, goodbye Rosalita
Adios mis amigos, Jesus e Maria
You won't have a name when you ride the big airplane
All they will call you will be "deportee"
PLANE WRECK AT LOS GATOS (DEPORTEE) is a song by Woody Guthrie. It was recorded by many artists, most notably The Byrds. See the original The Byrds version for more details.
Bruce Springsteen performed PLANE WRECK AT LOS GATOS (DEPORTEE) live once in 1981 and a few times in 1996. See the "Live History" section below for more details.
The above lyrics are for the live 28 Aug 1981 performance of PLANE WRECK AT LOS GATOS (DEPORTEE) at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, CA, during The River Tour. The song was played in a solo acoustic guitar and harmonica arrangement.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band performed a series of six concerts in August 1981 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. At first four concerts were announced (20, 21, 23, and 24 Aug 1981) and two more were later added (27 and 28 Aug 1981). The first of the six shows was a benefit concert in support of the Vietnam Veterans Of America, an organization founded by former U.S. Marine lieutenant and disabled Vietnam veteran Bobby Muller.
One of Springsteen's live versions of PLANE WRECK AT LOS GATOS (DEPORTEE) was officially released.
PLANE WRECK AT LOS GATOS (DEPORTEE) was performed once during The River Tour (138 dates, October 1980 to September 1981), on 28 Aug 1981 in Lost Angeles, CA. The song was played in a solo acoustic guitar and harmonica arrangement.
PLANE WRECK AT LOS GATOS (DEPORTEE) was sound-checked prior to the 04 Mar 1988 show in Chapel Hill, NC, (as far as it's known) but it was not performed on any of the Tunnel Of Love Express Tour's regular shows.
PLANE WRECK AT LOS GATOS (DEPORTEE) was performed twice during The Ghost Of Tom Joad Solo Acoustic Tour (128 dates, November 1995 to May 1997). On this tour, the song was played in a solo acoustic guitar arrangement (on 26 Sep 1996) and in a solo acoustic guitar and harmonica arrangement (on 23 Oct 1996).
PLANE WRECK AT LOS GATOS (DEPORTEE) was performed off-tour on 29 Sep 1996 at Severance Hall in Cleveland, OH, during a Woody Guthrie tribute concert. The song was played in a solo acoustic guitar and harmonica arrangement. This live 29 Sep 1996 version of PLANE WRECK AT LOS GATOS (DEPORTEE) was officially released in 2000 on the various artists album 'Til We Outnumber 'Em. See the live 29 Sep 1996 version for more details.
Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.
List of available versions of PLANE WRECK AT LOS GATOS (DEPORTEE) on this website:
PLANE WRECK AT LOS GATOS (DEPORTEE) [Live 28 Aug 1981 version]
