Sonora's Death Row

"Sonora’s Death Row" is a story song written by California songwriter Kevin "Blackie" Farrell and published by Drifter Music/Bug Music (BMI)[1][2] Recorded covers of the song have been performed by Robert Earl Keen, Leo Kottke, Michael Martin Murphey, Tom Russell, Richard Shindell, Dave Alvin, Johnny Rodriguez and others.

with the following introduction: Legendary Texas Ranger and Arizona Border Guard Jeff Milton once described Sonora as a hell and a paradise, Michael Martin Murphy tells us.

The story is told in the first person and the final verse touches on many of the song's earlier motifs and ends with a repeated lament by the narrator: A nightmare of mezcal was all that it was No one had robbed me at all I wish I was dreamin' the sound of the gallows They're testin' just outside the wall And the mezcal's still free in Amanda's saloon For the boys from the old Broken "O" I'd pay a ransom to drink there today An' be free of Sonora's Death Row Yeah I'd pay a ransom to drink there today An' be free of Sonora's Death Row[1] Although the time period is not made clear in the song, a reference to a Winchester rifle suggest the account takes place in the late 19th or early 20th century.

Regarding his inspiration, Farrell himself has said: "I just envisioned a guy, saddling up his horse, riding off with his pals off the ranch, going into town just to blow off some steam on a Saturday night and winding up living a nightmare.

Versions by Alvin, Murphy, Keen, and Shindell have all received airplay in recent years by folk music DJs throughout the United States.

The lyrics of "Sonora's Death Row" tell a story from the viewpoint of an American cowboy in Mexican border country . The time period is not made clear.
"I wish I was dreamin' the sound of the gallows they're testin' just outside the wall."
Over a decade after earlier recordings, Robert Earl Keen included the song on his 1989 album West Textures and continued to introduce the song to audiences in live performances.