More Songs with historical tales

In response to absolutely no popular demand, I am posting another song about an historical event. This one is Warren Zevon's "Veracruz" - a beautiful albeit slightly anti-American song about an incident when Woodrow Wilson had the US Navy shell the port city of Veracruz. It's one of the songs I had revolving through my head on my retreat at the monastery. When I was an undergrad at FSU I would spend hours in the library poring over Casasola's photgraphic history of the Mexican Revolution. One of the grainy old photos showed a line of dead civilians killed in the bombardment. Yet I doubt if many Americans have ever heard of it.

I heard Woodrow Wilson's guns
I heard Maria crying
Late last night I heard the news
That Veracruz was dying
Veracruz was dying

Someone called Maria's name
I swear it was my father's voice
Saying, "If you stay you'll all be slain
You must leave now - you have no choice
Take the servants and ride west
Keep the child close to your chest
When the American troops withdraw
Let Zapata take the rest

"I heard Woodrow Wilson's guns
I heard Maria calling
Saying, "Veracruz is dying
And Cuernavaca's falling

"Aquel dia yo jure (On that day I swore)
Hacia el puerto volvere (To the port I will return)
Aunque el destino cambio mi vida (Even though destiny changed my life)
En Veracruz morire (In Veracruz I shall die)
Aquel dia yo jure (On that day I swore)

I heard Woodrow Wilson's guns
I heard them in the harbor
Saying, "Veracruz is dying"