Story Behind The Song

True story, initially memorialized in a poem by Woodie Guthrie. It was set to music a decade later and ultimately popularized by Pete Seger, Arlo Guthrie and numerous other singers. This song honors them as well as remembering why they were singing about this.

Lyrics

[Intro]
In the whispers of the wind, a tale unfolds,
Of lives unrecognized, their stories untold.
Lost in the shadows, where history weeps,
The voices of the fallen are promises we keep.

[Verse 1]
In 1948, farm workers boarded a plane
As Deportees without any names,
In Los Gatos Canyon the workers and plane
Crashed and they all ended up in flames.
Woodie wrote their story, gave voice to the pain,
In the depths of our silence, for justice we strain.

[Chorus]
Oh, Deportee, you're more than a ghost,
A song of the voiceless that we raise and toast.
With every note sung, we carry your claim,
In the chorus of the lost, we remember you had a name.

[Verse 2]
Menus of injustice, cold-hearted and grim,
Lives caught in a struggle, prospects looked dim.
Farming the fields for a future so bright,
Yet met with such fate oh, what a plight.
Each name left behind, in the sands of the time,
Their families lament, oh what a crime.
With every performance, from Seger to the crowd,
The echo of truth, we sang it out loud.

[Chorus]
Oh, Deportee, you're more than a ghost,
A song of the voiceless that we raise and toast.
With every note sung, we carry your claim,
In the chorus of the lost, we remember you had a name.

[Bridge]
So tell me now, does your spirit survive?
In the hearts of the many, do dreamers still strive.
Is the struggle still real when the borders divide?
Are we blind to the faces that fate has denied?
The fight's far from over, the cycle remains,
With souls still unheard in the midst of our pains.

[Outro]
So let the world listen, let the truth be revealed,
In the fight against silence, our hearts are unsealed.
For every deportee, we stand side by side,
In our shared humanity, let love be our guide.