“Golden Cage” (Country Version)

Verse 1
I settled down here in America
Ten long years ago
Crossed that river in the darkness
With nowhere else to go
Still ain’t got the papers
Still living in the gray
Working hard and keeping quiet
Praying for another day

Verse 2
Brought my wife and little children
They were just babies then
Now they barely speak my language
And they don’t know where I’ve been
They don’t remember Mexico
Like it lives inside my heart
It’s the place I dream about
But I’m too scared to start

Chorus
What’s the use of all this money
If I’m living like a ghost?
In a land of milk and honey
But I miss my home the most
Yeah, the bars are made of gold here
But they still hold me tight
’Cause a golden cage is still a cage
When you can’t go home at night

Verse 3 (Spoken Style Intro)
I said, “Son, what if we went back home someday?”
He said, “Dad, what are you talking about?
I don’t wanna go back… no way.”

They think in English now
They dream in red, white, and blue
Say they’re just Americans
Like that’s all they ever knew
But when I look into their faces
I see where they began
They’ve got their mother’s brown eyes
And the color of this man

Verse 4
From my job straight to my house
I don’t wander, I don’t roam
Even though I’m a family man
I don’t feel at home
Every siren makes me nervous
Every knock shakes my soul
Living scared they’ll come and take me
That fear takes its toll

Chorus
What’s the use of all this money
If I’m living like a ghost?
In a land of milk and honey
But I miss my home the most
Yeah, the bars are made of gold here
But they still hold me tight
’Cause a golden cage is still a cage
When you can’t go home at night

Outro (Soft / Emotional)
When I think about my homeland
Sometimes I break down and cry
’Cause no matter how it shines here
Freedom feels like a lie
Yeah the cage is made of gold
But it’s still a prison wall
And a man without his homeland
Ain’t free at all

Sad country song