Lyrics to
El Paso

This version of El Paso was released by Grateful Dead in 1976.

Our About Grateful Dead page at Decade Lyrics includes the lyrics for El Paso from 1976 as well as all of the other lyrics from Grateful Dead that we have in our lyrics database.

Here's more interesting things in songs and lyrics tied to Grateful Dead or about the 1970s in general.

Out in the West Texas town of El Paso I fell in love with a Mexican
girl.
Nighttime would fine me in Rose’s Cantina,
Music would play and Felina would whirl.

Black as the night were the eyes of Felina,
Wicked and evil while casting a spell.
My love was strong for this Mexican maiden,
I was in love, but in vain I could tell.

One night a wild young cowboy came in, wild as the West Texas wind…
Dashing and daring, a drink he was sharing,
With wicked Felina, the girl that I love.

So in anger I challenged his right for the love of this maiden;
Down went his hand for the gun that he wore.
My challenge was answered, in less than a heartbeat
The handsome young stranger lay dead on the floor.

Just for a moment I stood there in silence,
Shocked by the foul evil deed I had done.
Many thoughts ran through my mind as I stood there;
I had but one chance and that was to run.

Out through the back door of Rose’s I ran, out where the horses were
tied…
I picked a good one; he looked like he could run,
Up on his back and away I did ride.

Just as fast as I could from the West Texas town of El Paso,
Out thru the badlands of New Mexico.
Back in El Paso my life would be worthless;
Everything’s gone in life nothing is left.

But it’s been so long since I’ve seen the young maiden,
My love is stronger that my fear of death.
I saddled up and away I did go, riding alone in the dark…
Maybe tomorrow a bullet may find me,
Tonight nothing’s worse than this pain in my heart.

And as last here I am on the hill overlooking El Paso,
I can see Rose’s Cantina below.
My love is strong and it pushes me onward, down off the hill to Felina
I go.

Off to my right I see five mounted cowboys,
Off to my left ride a dozen or more.
shouting and shooting; I can’t let them catch me,
I’ve got to make it to Rose’s back door.

Something is dreadfully wrong for I feel a deep burning pain in my
It’s getting harder to stay in the saddle.
I’m getting weary, unable to ride.

---

Want more lyrics and songs by Grateful Dead?

Grateful Dead has released many songs over the years besides El Paso. Grateful Dead released songs from 1967 to 1989 spanning across albums like The Grateful Dead, Anthem Of The Sun, Live / Dead, Aoxomoxoa, American Beauty, Workingman's Dead, Grateful Dead (Skull & Roses), Europe '72, History Of The Grateful Dead, Vol. 1 (Bear's Choice), Wake Of The Flood, Grateful Dead From The Mars Hotel, Blues For Allah, Steal Your Face, Terrapin Station, Shakedown Street, Go To Heaven, Reckoning, In The Dark, and Built To Last. Decade Lyrics has over lyrics & songs by Grateful Dead.

If you're a fan of popular 1970s songs looking for more songs from 1976 or the 1970s overall, you've come to the right place!

About Lyrics and El Paso by Grateful Dead

The lyrics for El Paso are defined as the words making up the song released by Grateful Dead in 1976. It also includes the verses and words used by the background chorus in the song. Like many hit songs, the lyrics to El Paso have different meanings to different people. While it is clear in some of the lyrics what the artist is trying to really say, only Grateful Dead and those working with them know all of the meanings behind all of the lyrics to their songs.

Some folks are interested in word and phrase etymology. It is easy to understand the lyrics to El Paso by Grateful Dead if you think through it. The word "lyric" itself derives from the Latin word lyricus, with the actual English word lyrics applied to the definition "words set to music" listed in Stainer and Barrett's 1876 Dictionary of Musical Terms. Continuing the chain, the Latin word lyricus derives from the Greek word λυρικός or lyrikós. This somewhat means "poetry accompanied by the lyre" or "words set to music." You can easily see that by looking at the background of the word lyric, that the "lyrics to El Paso" means the words set to the music of El Paso, or poetry accompanied by the lyre played by Grateful Dead. The singular form "lyric" is still used to mean the complete words to a song. However, the singular form lyric is also commonly used to refer to a specific line (or phrase) within a song's lyrics. Hence, by this analysis of word structure, you could say that the lyric to El Paso and the lyrics to El Paso are both one and the same thing. None of this talk about the word Lyrics is really relevant to fans of Grateful Dead who came here looking just for the lyrics to El Paso, but we feel it is still fun to learn what's behind commonly used words and lyrics in songs.

More Songs & Lyrics by Grateful Dead

Visit our Grateful Dead profile for more Grateful Dead songs, lyrics & info!

)