"Sweet Home Gringoterra", poetry in praise of Latino and Hispanic culture in the USA.

Sweet Home Gringoterra [Part 2 of My People of Color Trilogy]

A celebration of Latin influence in the USA.

Song lyrics by Chrome Dome Mike Kimbro

Structure: Accent points align for all 6 verses.

Consider reading along to my Spoken Verse Performance!

PRELUDE

Beautiful photo of a supreme nacho dish with guacamole and refried beans, the pinicle of Tex-Mex cuisine.

(Snare drum builds then stops.....)

Where all the nachos are supreme, >>>>>>>>>>>>

And Selma Hyack is the queen.

In Gringoterra,

In Gringo Terra,

In Gringoterra, U.S.A.

INTRO (somewhat hip-hop)

Listen young and old,

As I tell you a tale

‘Bout a place called Gringoterra.

Where life’s never stale.

It’s a state of mind

It’s a new world order

It’s a place you’ll only find

Up here North of the border.

More than self improvement

I’d call it social evolution

And it’s not just a movement

More like a friggin’ revolution.

So be glad you’re living

In a ‘most interesting’ era

Here’s the thanks that I’m giving

For Sweet Home Gringoterra

VERSE 1

Section 1

I don’t always dine

At the taqueria

But when I do…

Pic of a can of Juanita's Polole, the Pork and Hominy Soup of Hispanic origin. Originally made with human meat, pork was later substituted into the recipe.

I drink Dos Equis from a glass with lime

And get a bowl of pozole too. >>>>>>

Section 2

This yankee’s got an appetite

For some ta-cos filled with carnitas.

Get the flautas and I'll have a bite.

And we can scout all the sweet senoritas.

Pic of a plate of grilled jalapeno slices.

Section 3

Jalapenos, cooked up on the grill. >>>>>>

It's like I've died and gone to heaven

When I stop off at the road side stand

I buy tamales by the dozen. >>>>>>

VERSE 2

I don’t always swing

To those latin beats

But when I do…

I start to feel like I’m a matador

Fixin’ to make me some toro stew. (Ole)

The guitar players strum the beat

Then the horn section starts to blowin’.

Slap the Congas to turn up the heat

That’s when I’ll find me a black magic woman.

Watchin’ chicas dance, I'm in the groove.

Like a real strong margarita.

When their hips and arms are on the move

All I can think is “mamacita”.

BRIDGE 1

Of the girls I’ve kissed

There was one sweet Latina.

Her dark skin I’ve missed

Her sweet voice, like Selena.

She made me shout “Me Gusta”!

Do I love her, well I used ta’.

One day we just said good bye, bye, bye, bye.

And I learned how to cry, cry, cry, cry, cry.

INSTRUMENTAL BRIDGE

VERSE 3

I don’t always tune

To Miss Universe

But when I do…

I put my money on the latin chicks [Note: Check out the winners past and present.]

And cheer the sweet thangs from Texas too.

There’s something ‘bout a tanned brunette

In a 2 piece or (a) Catalina.

But my favorites have a sweet accent,

And hail from Mexico to Argentina.

When the judges vote and get it right

A chica's crowned with a tiara

Then we check out all their Facebook® sites. [Examples: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8]

That’s how we roll at Gringoterra.

VERSE 4

I don't always dream

Of life on the border

But when I do...

Each time I'm looking at a giant wall.

The problem is it's a south side view.

The feeling I can't seem to shed:

"Didn't they raze that (damn) Berlin Fence(*)?"

So as silent drones fly o-verhead

It's clear this barrier don't make much sense(*).

Sure it's silly for us to lament.

Walls running thru land that is barren(*).

But a whole new plan I'd implement

If the next Prez. were Gringoterran.

VERSE 5 [Note: Structure sections 2 & 3 are switched]

Section 1 Poster for the documentry film "El Inmigrante" ("The Immigrant") by David and John Eckenrode and John Sheedy, about Eusebio de Haro.

I don't always ask

For a drink of water

But when I do...

You know I wouldn't be near Brackettville

The home of Sam and wife Brenda too.

Section 2

In "The Immigrant" they weave a plot [Note: Please see "The Immigrant"]

Of two young men who left old Mexico.

But they learned that Kinney County's not

The place to ask for H2 O(*).

Section 3

The Blackwoods' counsel struck a deal.

So a back shot's (now) a misdemeanor.

All this madness might just seem unreal.

But poor Eusebio was just a beaner.

VERSE 6

Cover art for the straight to DVD movie Chupacabra Terror starring John Rhys-Davies and Giancarlo Esposito

I don't always hunt

For the Chupacabra

But when I do…

The boys and I(*) leave our guns at home.

Cause all we need is a camera crew.

The stories of that mutt abound

So we hoped there would be one around. [Note: accent point change on "around"]

But the only dog like that we found

Not a chupacabra at all, but is instead a mixed breed cross between a chinese crested and a greyhound.

Was just some Chinese breed crossed with a greyhound. >>>>>>>>>>>>

But I'd really like to bring one home.

The fact is I'm a little asthmatic [Note: accent point change on "asthmatic"]

And the chupacabra has no hair.

So they are hypoallergenic. ("No more wheezing!")

CLOSING

When I pass on to the great beyond

I’d like to go out with some style

In a custom hearse rockin’ 24’s

The procession will stretch for a mile.

And my homies will be playing cool tunes

As we tool along in single file. Ticket stub for the Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony concert at American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX in 2007. Keywords: J-Lo and Mark Anthony.

“La Bamba”, “Low Rider”, and “I've Got You”,

So each one will be wearing a smile.

But their back window will wear a decal

Put there to honor this latinophile:

In Loving Memory…

Del Padre de Gringoterra

The End.