# Border Songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 17, 2020, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/border-songs/851962 "2020-04-17T03:42:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/border-songs/851962/1 "2020-04-17T03:42:19Z")
I’m listening once more to the beautiful (and painful) “I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight” by Richard and Linda Thompson, which may be one of my top five favorite albums. The first song is “[When I Get To The Border](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEk-wjil1rA)”, a wonderful start for that album. So another great border song came to my mind, Bob Dylan’s “[Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doIMYvZyo_k)”, which is neither a blues nor about Tom Thumb, but about what happens “when you’re lost in the rain in Juarez, when it’s Easter time too.” So what are other great songs about the border? (“Games Without Frontiers” doesn’t count ;)) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/border-songs/851962/2 "2020-04-17T03:50:02Z")
[On the Border - Al Stewart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2L_OyS21lM) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/border-songs/851962/3 "2020-04-17T04:16:22Z")
[Across the Borderline -](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tECEpWlOWgY)Freddy Fender and Ry Cooder [Another version by Flaco Jimenez and John Hiatt](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wzDjc_Chj4) And [Willie Nelson](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg5aLhDFoX8) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/border-songs/851962/4 "2020-04-17T04:28:52Z")
It’s not a great song, but this thread reminded me of the song “The Border” by America, which I haven’t thought of in decades, so I had to go to YouTube and watch the [WTF video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcxs2qFQXTE) for the song (is that a Commodore 64?). ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/border-songs/851962/5 "2020-04-17T04:35:28Z")
Two obvious ones: [On the Border - Eagles](https://youtu.be/WeuaxvEI9Dw) [Border Song - Elton John](https://youtu.be/Lm7b-32Mpbs) ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/border-songs/851962/6 "2020-04-17T07:44:54Z")
[Lost and Found](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86pGXU7tctM) by Brooks & Dunn [Mexicali Blues](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyaWbPRhJvE) by the Grateful Dead Many versions of [Mexicali Rose](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9UPxFqWNbI). Gene Autry kind of owns it, I think. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/border-songs/851962/7 "2020-04-17T09:02:18Z")
South of the Border, Down Mexico Way - many covers Steal Across the Border - Joan Baez Coming Into Los Angeles - Arlo Guthrie (flying in) ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/border-songs/851962/8 "2020-04-17T12:53:04Z")
“Illegal Alien” by the famous Mexican band Genesis. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/border-songs/851962/9 "2020-04-17T13:06:44Z")
Christopher Cross - Ride like the wind [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ur8ftRFb2Ac/maxresdefault.jpg "Christopher Cross - Ride Like The Wind") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur8ftRFb2Ac) ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/border-songs/851962/10 "2020-04-17T14:38:16Z")
Eddie Money - “[Gimme Some Water](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU-KVObNEd4)” ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/border-songs/851962/11 "2020-04-17T14:43:02Z")
“Deportee” Joan Baez ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/border-songs/851962/12 "2020-04-17T14:46:38Z")
“La Linea” - Lila Downs “La Jaula de Oro” - Los Tigres del Notre [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0jeBzqS_6WE/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AG-AoAC8AGKAgwIABABGGUgXyhTMA8=&rs=AOn4CLCCuUUDYUyZInxZcoeFy6hsliFUMg ""La Jaula de Oro" Los Tigres del Norte - Video Oficial") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jeBzqS_6WE) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/border-songs/851962/13 "2020-04-17T15:16:01Z")
[On The Border](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MQln1nhT-M) - [David Kramer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Kramer_(singer)). Spoken-word song about the toll of Apartheid SA’s Border War on young white conscripts. ---
**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/border-songs/851962/14 "2020-04-17T15:29:13Z")
Mexican Blackbird - ZZ Top ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/border-songs/851962/15 "2020-04-17T15:34:28Z")
**Feed The Enemy** by **Magazine**. OK, so it’s more about separateness than the physical border itself, but close. And its a cracking little song - here it is [live](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVthDIehiIU) and, very differently, [studio](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcLY2ODYSH8). > [@](#): > > It’s always raining over the border > There’s been a plane crash out there > In the wheatfields they’re picking up the pieces… j ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/border-songs/851962/16 "2020-04-17T15:38:25Z")
_California Snow_, by Dave Alvin and Tom Russell [Tom Russell](https://youtu.be/GzJNDxmAuFE) [Dave Alvin](https://youtu.be/4YXFvxgN_1k) ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/border-songs/851962/17 "2020-04-17T15:49:01Z")
Chris de Burgh [Borderline](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaNmykB68nA) ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/border-songs/851962/18 "2020-04-17T16:18:01Z")
I was going to say “Stealin” by Uriah Heep, but checking the lyrics I was surprised to find it makes no actual reference to crossing any specific border, though it’s kind of implied. I guess I always assumed it was about crossing the border into Mexico: “Take me across the water cause I need some place to hide I done the rancher’s daughter and I sure did hurt his pride Haha” ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/border-songs/851962/19 "2020-04-17T16:26:13Z")
Bit of a stretch: _Then Came The Last Days of May_ by Blue Oyster Cult: _They brought everything they needed Bags and scales to weigh the stuff The driver said the border’s just over the bluff_ ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mr.Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Bill)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2020, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/border-songs/851962/20 "2020-04-17T16:30:16Z")
David Olney - Border Town [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/border-songs/851962.md?page=2)