Jaula de Oro
 
 


This is a picture of men standing outside of the enterance to the border.
They are on the Mexican side of the Arizona-Mexico border.

"Jaula de Oro"
Los Tigres del Norte

Aquí estoy establecido
En los Estados Unidos.
Diez años pasaron ya
En que cruzé de mojado
Sigo siendo un ilegal.

Tengo mi esposa y mis hijos
Que me los traje muy chicos,
Y se han olividado ya
De mi Mexico querido,
Del que yo nunca me olvido,
Y no regresar.

¿De qué me sirve el dinero
Si estoy como prisoniero
Cuando me acuerdo hasta lloro
Aunque la jaula sea de oro,
No deja de ser prisión.

“Escuchame hijo.
 ¿Te gustaría que regresánis
  a vivir en México?”

“What you talkin about, Dad?
I don’t want to go back to Mexico, No way, Dad!”

Mis hijos no hablan conmigo.
Otra idioma han aprendido,
Y olvidado el español.
Piensan como americanos,
Niegan que son mexicanos,
Aunque tengan mi color.

De mi trabajo a mi casa,
Yo no sé lo que me pasa,
Aunque soy hombre de hogar,
Casi no salgo a la calle
Pues tengo miedo
Que me hallen y me pueden deportar.

¿De qué me sirve el dinero
Si estoy como prisoniero
Dentro de esta gran nación?
Cuando me acuerdo hasta lloro
Aunque la jaula sea de oro,
No deja de ser prisión.


Even though Mexicans immigrate to the United States they still maintain a Mexican pride.  In the U.S. Mexican immigrants continue to celebrate the holidays that are celebrated in Mexico. But sometimes the children of these immigrants are so immersed in American culture that they consider themselves more American than Mexican. The first aspect of the Mexican culture that the immigrant generation loses is language.

This corrido deals with the issue of alienation in North America. Most likely, the protagonist came to the U.S. to improve his/her life. Although, he may be earning more mondy in America than he would in Mexico he is not happy. He must hide from immigration officials and he can no longer communicate with his children because they are americanized. The protagonist feels that he is in a gilded cage because even though earns a good wage he can not live life freely.

The author of this corrido had immigration problems of his own.  When Enrique Franco wrote this corrido he himself was an illegal immigrant.  "[Immigration] had never been treated as a social problem," said Franco.  "I never had  the problem of communication with my children, but many immigrants do. There isn't time to talk to the kids. The children learn another language. That's where the gap between kids and parents begins."  Even though groups like los Tigres may have not experienced all the problems of illegal immigration they have close friends who do.
 

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