5 To 9

Tired muscles, tired eyes Can't sleep through this Oaxacan night He's kept away from dreaming, haunted by thoughts of failing The family whom he shares a bed A tiny room even less bread He cries out to himself silently I am not a man I can't feed my children This is no life for them So he's out of bed with the sunrise He kisses his wife and kids goodbye Then heads north to the border To work, become a provider But gathered at the country line Are protesters all holding signs He can't read but translates perfectly I am not a man I'm just a Mexican Illegal immigrant The politicians the pundits the public debate But one question's lost in policy "Is a man not a man if he's born outside a boundary?" Stumbling through the desert alone and afraid He almost dies from the heat But he thinks of his family and that keeps him going He won't stop for death least the laws of a country Arrested is no threat when you're already living unfree So he works the fields from 5 to 9 Plus any job that he can find Saves up all his money, sends it to his family Before he falls asleep at night A thousand miles from his life He assuredly repeats I am a human A father a husband A global citizen Not a debatable statistic I'm not your problem economic I'm not a threat to patriotic That's idiotic I am a...