Hispanic Musicians in NYC Subway Car and Station

Recording Time: 8-8-2011
Singing in Spanish about their journey from El Salvador to the USA, they went from car to car and changing subways.

Tres veces mojado

Cuando me vine de mi tierra El Salvador
Con la intención de llegar a Estados Unidos
Sabía que necesitaría más que valor
Sabía que a lo mejor quedaba en el camino.

Son tres fronteras las que tuve que cruzar
Por tres países anduve indocumentado
Tres veces tuve yo la vida que arriesgar
Por eso dicen que soy tres veces mojado.

En Guatemala y México cuando crucé
Dos veces me salvé me hicieran prisionero
El mismo idioma y el color reflexioné
¿Cómo es posible que me llamen extranjero?

En Centroamérica, dado su situación
Tanto política, como económicamente
Ya para muchos no hay otra solución
Que abandonar su patria, tal vez para siempre.

El mexicano da dos pasos y aquí está
Hoy lo echan y al siguiente día está de regreso
Eso es un lujo que no me puedo dar
Sin que me maten o que me lleven preso.

Es lindo México, pero cuanto sufrí
Atravesarlo sin papeles es muy duro
Los 5000 kilómetros que recorrí
Puedo decir que los recuerdo uno por uno.

Por Arizona me dijeron, cruzara
Y que me aviento por el medio del desierto
Por suerte un mexicano al que llamaban Juan
Me dio la mano, que si no, estuviera muerto.

Ahora que al fin logré la legalización
Lo que sufrí lo he recuperado con creces
A los mojados les dedico mi canción
Y a los que igual que yo, son mojados tres veces.

Three Times a Wetback

When I came from my country of El Salvador
with the intention of arriving to the United States,
I knew that I'd need more than just courage,
I knew that I might end up half way there.

I had to cross three borders,
I had to travel undocumented through three countries,
three times my life was at risk,
that's why they say I'm three times a wetback
in Guatemala and Mexico when I crossed...

Twice I was saved from being made a prisoner,
I demonstrated the same language, same color
how is it possible that they call me a foreigner
given the situation in Central America.

In as much politically as economically,
for many there's no other solution now
than to abandon their homeland; perhaps forever,
Mexicans takes two steps and they're there.

Today they'll deport him and the next day he's back,
that's a luxury I can't give myself
without being killed or taken prisoner...

Mexico is lovely but how much I suffered
crossing through is hard without papers,
you could say that I can remember one by one
the five thousand kilometers that I traveled.

Through Arizona they told me I'd have to cross
and to throw myself into the middle of the desert,
luckily a Mexican they called Juan
gave me a hand or else I would have died.

Now that I've finally obtained legalization
I've recovered from what I've suffered with time,
I dedicate my song to the wetbacks
and those who are just like me: three times a wetback.

wetback/mojado = person crossing the Rio Grande to illegally enter Texas from Mexico, getting wet in the process