Ganado

Traveling to Three Rivers, Texas from Houston a few weeks ago, I passed through a town named Ganado.

I took a photo and then made a watercolor of a few of the downtown buildings. (You can get a print of this watercolor here).

I also wrote a few lines about the town, and then more and more verses kept coming. I’ll try out the new song at our show at Poor David’s Pub on Friday.

Here’s lyrics and a demo of the song below:

It’s on the coastal plains, and when it rains
You know that it’s falling here
I’ve pushed dirt on our farm with these two arms
And hands that I used to steer
Tractors and trucks and when I felt stuck
I just pushed on and raised up my chin
Somehow we’ll pull through cause I’m telling you
Ganado means I’ll win

Ganado means earned, ganado means won fair and square
Not far from Blessing, just a little northwest of there
Ganado means earned and all that I’ve learned
Has brought me to share
Its not perdido, its ganado
It’s not middle of nowhere

What’s in a name is all you hope to gain
If you struggle to scratch out a win
But your kids move away and all they can say
Is Ganado is not where they end
What more could you want, we can fish and hunt
After work, have a few beers
So I can’t understand why my wife takes my hand
Says “ganado” eyes full of tears

Not perdido my dear,
do not mark it as lost
It’s ganado, yes, she says,
but gained at what cost
If you’d seen it back in the day, you’d certainly say
This place has gained
In public education, civic reputation
Though the city budget is strained

In a hundred years, since the founders moved here
Our population has doubled
Crime is low, the night life is slow
The business forecast is troubled
Ganado also means cattle, so it’s an uphill battle
To rebrand a place with such a name
But now we’ve got a song, though it’s a little long
It’s bound to expand our fame

Ganado

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