We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Border Town

from The Secret of Life by Gretchen Peters

/

lyrics

Carmelita was a street angel but she kept her halo hid
Never learned to read or write so well, she was just a farmer's kid
She took communion at the age of twelve, she wore a cross of wood
She heard the clanging of the mission bell and she vowed that she’d be good

But the world goes round
And it’s hard enough to stand your ground
There’s always someone tryin’ to keep you down
In a border town

Mamacita said you can’t go down, stay away from the white man's world
She drew the line at the edge of town for her little dark-haired girl
But Carmelita she had other plans and her life had just begun
She ran away with a black-eyed man and he left her with a black-eyed son

But the world goes round
And it’s hard enough to stand your ground
There’s always someone tryin’ to keep you down
In a border town

Carmelita now she’s settlin' down, she’s not so free and wild
She rides a bus all the way across town to love somebody else’s child
Shows up each morning right on time and at six o’clock she’s gone
She keeps her distance and she toes the line cause she knows where it’s been drawn

But the world goes round
And it’s hard enough to stand your ground
There’s always someone tryin’ to keep you down
In a border town

credits

from The Secret of Life, released June 4, 1996
written by Gretchen Peters

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Gretchen Peters image

Gretchen Peters Nashville, Tennessee

For two decades, Gretchen Peters has been one of Nashville's most beloved and respected artists. A 2014 inductee into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Peters has accumulated accolades as both songwriter and artist. Her latest album, The Night You Wrote That Song: The Songs of Mickey Newbury (May 2020), is a loving tribute to another Hall of Fame songwriter. ... more

shows

contact / help

Contact Gretchen Peters

Streaming and
Download help

Shipping and returns

Redeem code

Report this track or account

Gretchen Peters recommends:

If you like Gretchen Peters, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Beans joins the show to discuss his album release, "ZWAARD".

listen now