The second half of the song is about the promise of the New World compared to the reality of an immigrant's life in America. The last lines are Joe reflecting on how easy he has it compared to them.
I would guess it runs something like this: there's a Mexican immigrant who rides a taxi in the US for the money he needs to keep his family alive (most, if not all of which is still in Mexico). He lives cheap to send back as much as he can. If there's any deception involved here, it's the belief that he can really make it, meaning - get his family up to States and live the big life. If he's disclosed, a judge (or other authority) will decree him illegal and kick him out (this also does away with accusations)....
I would guess it runs something like this: there's a Mexican immigrant who rides a taxi in the US for the money he needs to keep his family alive (most, if not all of which is still in Mexico). He lives cheap to send back as much as he can. If there's any deception involved here, it's the belief that he can really make it, meaning - get his family up to States and live the big life. If he's disclosed, a judge (or other authority) will decree him illegal and kick him out (this also does away with accusations). "we stand over the dead the vultures all well fed killer running free" is perhaps no longer about him (the taxi driver), but about "us", meaning those who live the good life in a land where aliens induce more fear than killers. The last lines get back to the guy again, remembering his relatives, whom he might not ever see again.
Unless there's some real story behind it.
The second half of the song is about the promise of the New World compared to the reality of an immigrant's life in America. The last lines are Joe reflecting on how easy he has it compared to them.
I would guess it runs something like this: there's a Mexican immigrant who rides a taxi in the US for the money he needs to keep his family alive (most, if not all of which is still in Mexico). He lives cheap to send back as much as he can. If there's any deception involved here, it's the belief that he can really make it, meaning - get his family up to States and live the big life. If he's disclosed, a judge (or other authority) will decree him illegal and kick him out (this also does away with accusations)....
I would guess it runs something like this: there's a Mexican immigrant who rides a taxi in the US for the money he needs to keep his family alive (most, if not all of which is still in Mexico). He lives cheap to send back as much as he can. If there's any deception involved here, it's the belief that he can really make it, meaning - get his family up to States and live the big life. If he's disclosed, a judge (or other authority) will decree him illegal and kick him out (this also does away with accusations). "we stand over the dead the vultures all well fed killer running free" is perhaps no longer about him (the taxi driver), but about "us", meaning those who live the good life in a land where aliens induce more fear than killers. The last lines get back to the guy again, remembering his relatives, whom he might not ever see again. Unless there's some real story behind it.