It got so hot last night, I swear
You couldn't hardly breathe
Heat lightning burned the sky like alcohol
I sat on the porch without my shoes
And I watched the car roll by
As the headlights raced
To the corner of the kitchen wall

Mother, dear, your boy is here far across the sea
Waiting for that sacred coal that burns inside of me
I feel a storm, all wet and warm, not ten miles away
Approaching my Mexican home

My God, I cried, it's so hot inside
You could die in the living room
Take the fan from the window
Prop the door back with a broom
The cuckoo clock has died of shock
The windows feel no pane
The air's as still as the throttle on a funeral train

Mama, dear, your boy is here far across the sea
Waiting for that sacred coal that burns inside of me
I feel a storm, all wet and warm, not ten miles away
Approaching my Mexican home

My father died on the porch outside
On an August afternoon
I sipped bourbon and cried with a friend
By the light of the moon
So it's, Hurry! Hurry! Step right up!
It's a matter of life or death
The sun's going down
And the moon is just holding its breath

Mother, dear, your boy is here far across the sea
Waiting for that sacred coal that burns inside of me
I feel a storm, all wet and warm, not ten miles away
Approaching my Mexican home
Approaching my Mexican home