PANCHO
VILLA 
Luis Hernández y Leonardo Sifuentes
El Paso, Texas, 7/16/1929
Victor 81399; Arhoolie Folklyric CD 7042
(Audio Courtesy of Chris Strachwitz of Arhoolie/Folklyric)
In our Mexico, on the 23rd of February
Carranza let the Americans cross over:
20,000 men, and 200 airplanes
were looking for Villa all over the country
Carranza tells them earnestly,
If you are men and know how to track him
“I give you permission to find Villa
and you can also learn how it is to die.”
When the Texas “Blondie’s” arrived
Exhausted from so much walking,
After seven hours on the road,
the poor souls wanted to go back home.
The expeditionary searches began
and the airplanes started to fly,
they took several different directions
looking for Villa in order to kill him.
When Francisco Villa saw punitive forces
he immediately got ready, too,
he dressed as an American soldier,
and he also transformed his troops.
When the planes saw the flag
that Villa had painted with stars
they made a mistake and came down,
and villa took them prisoners.
Francisco Villa no longer rides a horse
And his people need never ride again:
Francisco Villa is now the owner of
airplanes which
he very easily acquires.
Nuestro México,febrero veintitrés,
dejó Carranza pasar americanos,
veinte mil hombres, doscientos aeroplanos,
buscando a Villa por todito el país.
Y Carranza les dice afanoso,
que si son hombres y saben perseguir:
-Les doy permiso de que busquen a Villa
y que se enseñen tambén a morir.-
Cuando entraron los güeros de Texas,
fatigados de tanto caminar,
con siete horas que llevaban de camino
los pobresitos se querían regresar.
Ya comenzaron las expediciones,
los aeroplanos comienzan a volar.
se repartieron por distintas direcciones
buscando a Villa que lo querían matar
Francisco Villa, al ver las fuerzas punitivas,
luego al momento también se preparó,
se visitó de soldado americano
y a sus tropas también las transformó.
Los aeroplanos, al ver la bandera
con las estrellas que Villa les pintó,
se equivocaron y bajaron a la sierra
y prisioneros Villa los agarró.
Francisco Villa ya no anda a caballo,
ni su gente tampoco andará,
Francisco Villa ahora es dueño de aeroplanos
que los consigue con facilidad.
Legends
Before the Revolution