Salvador Sanchez arrived and vanished
Only twenty-three with so much speed
Owning the highway

Mexico City bred so many
But none quite like him sweet warrior
Pure magic matador

Pancho Villa would never rest
'Til 1925 he closed his eyes
'Til Manila stars would rise

Gozo of the Philippines, choirs and angels sing
Ukulele strings play for his legend
Italy had a king

How have they gone
Fell by leather
So alone
Bound together

Benny "kid" Paret came a good way
Climbed to the grey sky to raise his hands
Stopped by the better man

Eyes of Los Rios cry for suns
Lost on distant shores, unforeseen horrors
Struck and delivered him

How have they gone
Fell by leather
So alone
Bound together

Why have they gone
Fell by leather
So alone
All bound together


Lyrics submitted by sethbrown

Pancho Villa Lyrics as written by Mark Edward Kozelek

Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

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Pancho Villa song meanings
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3 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment

    Surprised there are no comments on this song. One of Mark's best. It seems to just be about boxers that died too young. He really seems to love boxing.

    controlfreakon December 06, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Pancho villa, he fought a Total of 104 fightswinning 92 of it, never knocked out his entire career.. some of his defeats were questioned.. he also knocked out jimmy wilde. and he was only 23 when he died, imagine 104 fights and just 23.. could have doubled that.. prolly the best boxer ever that came from asia.. (better than pac i think, for now)

    gelodemesaon February 22, 2011   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    Kozolek sings about four boxers in the songs of "Ghosts of the Great Highway." The recording is melancholy and meditative and I think it summons recollections of driving great distances and day dreaming on subjects that captivate the songwriter. Pancho Villa like Salvador Sanchez, Benny Paret and Duk Koo Kim died young. All four were dead before they were 25. Paret and Duk Koo Kim died in the ring or shortly after sustaining catastrophic injuries in now legendary bouts. Villa died from a combination of dental surgery anesthetic, ensuing infection following a drinking bout with friends and then fighting despite his condition. Sanchez is the one who did not die due to injury in the ring. Kozolek is singing about courage, loss, memory and the death of warriors. He's a poet and these songs carry meanings the differ depending on the listener.

    Beenlisteningon May 03, 2019   Link

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