[Verse 1 - stripped, acoustic guitar and light dobro] I was riding down in Juárez, chasing sunsets, chasing dreams, Heard the music through the cantina, saw your eyes cut right through me. Your smile lit up the night sky, hotter than a desert flame, But I knew my boots belonged to Tennessee plains. [Chorus 1 - add drums, bass, light electric shimmer] Oh Chiquita, you will never know, How my heart breaks every mile I go. I could give you Smoky Mountain skies, But you can’t trade your roots for mine. I’m torn between the land I love and you I can’t forget, Oh Chiquita… you’re my sweetest heartache. [Verse 2 - build with steady drum groove, mandolin/fiddle texture] You said, “Cowboy, I can’t follow, my soul’s here in this ground,” With your family and your freedom, in that old adobe town. I tipped my hat and whispered, “Girl, I hate this road I chose,” But some love is just like the Rio - it just won’t let you go. [Chorus 2 - fuller band, vocal harmonies, pedal steel soaring] Oh Chiquita, you will never know, How my heart breaks every mile I go. I could give you Tennessee starry nights, But you can’t trade your road for mine. I’m torn between the land I love and you I can’t forget, Oh Chiquita… you’re my sweetest heartache. [Bridge - drop instruments, vocal and acoustic, and subtle dobro] Maybe someday I’ll return, chasing ghosts down Mexico way, But until then I’ll sing your name in every lonesome place I play. [Final Chorus - full lift - layered guitars, big drums, stacked harmonies] Oh Chiquita, you will never know, How I loved you more than I could show. I’ve got Tennessee dirt beneath my feet, But your memory’s the fire I’ll always keep. I’m torn between the land I love and you I can’t forget, Oh Chiquita… you’re my sweetest heartache. [Outro - fade on electric and steel guitar echoes, soft harmony “oh Chiquita…”] oh Chiquita…
