Gallo Del Cielo

from A Family Odyssey by McDonnell Trio

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lyrics

Gallo Del Cielo

Carlos Zaragoza left his home in Casas Grandes when the moon was full
No money in his pocket, just a locket of his sister framed in gold
He rode into El Sueco, stole a rooster called el Gallo Del Cielo
Then he crossed the Rio Grande with that fighter nestled deep beneath his arm.

El Gallo Del Cielo was a rooster born in heaven so the legends say
His wings they had been broken, he had one eye rollin' crazy in his head
He'd fought a hundred fights, and the legends say that one night near El Sueco
They'd fought Del Cielo seven times, and seven times he left brave roosters dead.

Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in San Antonio
I have twenty seven dollars and the good luck of your picture framed in gold
Tonight I’ll bet it all on the fighting spurs of Gallo Del Cielo
And then I'll return to buy the land that Villa stole from papa long ago.

Outside of San Diego, in the onion fields of Paco Monteverde
The Pride of San Diego lay sleeping on a fancy bed of silk
And they laughed when Zaragoza pulled the one-eyed Del Cielo from beneath his coat
But they cried when Zaragoza walked away with a thousand dollar bill.

Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in Santa Barbara
I have fifteen hundred dollars and the good luck of your picture framed in gold
Tonight I'll bet it all on the fighting spurs of Gallo Del Cielo
And then I'll return to buy the land that Villa stole from papa long ago.

Now the moon it is in hiding and the lantern lights cast shadows on the fighting sand
Where a wicked black named Zorro faces del Cielo in the night
And Carlos Zaragoza feels the tiny crack that runs along his rooster's beak
And he fears that he has lost the fifty thousand dollars riding on the fight.

Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in Santa Clara
All the money's on the table, I am holding to your good luck framed in gold
And everything we've dreamed of is riding on the spurs of Del Cielo
I pray that I'll return to buy the land that Villa stole from papa long ago.

Then the signal it was given, and the roosters rose together high above the sand
And Gallo del Cielo sunk a gash into Zorro's shiny breast
They were separated quickly and they rose and fought together thirty seven times
And the legends say that everyone agreed that del Cielo fought the best.

Then the screams of Zaragoza filled the night outside the town of Santa Clara
As the beak of del Cielo lay broken like a shell within his hand
And they say that Zaragoza screamed a curse upon the bones of Pancho Villa
When Zorro rose up one last time and drove del Cielo to the sand.

Hola, my Theresa, I am thinking of you now in San Francisco
There’s no money in my pocket, I no longer have your good luck framed in gold
I buried it last evening with the bones of my beloved Del Cielo
And I'll not return to buy the land that Villa stole from papa long ago.

Does the river still run muddy outside of my beloved Casas Grandes?
Does the scar upon my brother's face turn red when he hears mention of my name?
Do the people of El Sueco still curse the theft of Gallo del Cielo?
You can tell my family not to worry, I will not return to cause them shame.

credits

from A Family Odyssey, released April 12, 2023
Written by Tom Russel
Michael McDonnell: vocals
Simon McDonnell: vocals
Kevin McDonnell: vocals

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McDonnell Music Rennes, France

La légende des McDonnell commence avec Michael, le père, dans le pub familial du comté de Kilkenny. Élevé à la musique traditionnelle irlandaise, il vogue vers la France et y nourrit deux fils, Simon et Kevin, d’un mélange de ballades folk et de bluegrass. Au son du banjo, de la mandoline, de la guitare, de l’accordéon et du bodhran, cette trinité musicale révèle un véritable gospel irlandais... ... more

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