Rosie crossed the Rio Grande In the middle of the night she swam With all she could carry In a plain cloth sack Heading for the promised land Never coming back
Friends and family stayed behind To haul the crops at harvest time They think about Rosie And all those nights She spent thinking of Her city lights
Chorus: City lights shining in her eyes Spreading out like Christmas lights Under California skies When the sun goes down And those dreams begin to fade She's got those city lights To help her find her way
Times were hard and the jobs were few City lights were so brand new Down in the barrio Good times were hard to find So Rosie packs her cares And up the hill she climbs To see those
Chorus
Rosie never wants Those dreams to fade away Never wants to let the rain Spoil a sunny day So when the sun goes down And those dreams begin to fade She's go those city lights To help her find her way