One Mile Apart

My name is Mary Francis
And I live in El Paso
In a large house on Mt. Franklin,
I have quite a view
I can see the desert,
Pecan trees in the valley
Those little shacks in Juarez,
I can see them too

My name is Juan Contreras
And from my home in Juarez
I can see El Paso
And the houses of the rich
I leave my children sleeping
To earn a few centavo
Selling red pistachios
To the tourists on the bridge

Which side of the river,
Did someone flip a coin
It's sad enough to break a river's heart
How can there be so much distance between us
When our houses are one mile apart

My house is Spanish stucco,
I have a blue Jacuzzi
Four bedrooms and a fireplace,
A swimming pool with heat

My house is brown adobe,
I don't have running water
I don't have indoor plumbing,
Or pavement on my street

Which side of the river,
Did someone flip a coin
It's sad enough to break a river's heart
How can there be so much distance between us
When our houses are one mile apart
When our houses are one mile apart