Image Credit: Jonathan Stutz
 
Music:

Buenos Dias America

Buenos Dias America is one of many songs written by Penny in the mid-1980s. While going through old recordings, we found a bare bones demo recording of this song and we loved the original vocal so we extracted it from the demo and have now filled it out with new instrumental tracks.

Since this was written, treatment of our immigrants has only gotten worse, making Penny's poignant lyric as relevant as ever.

The lead vocal is from a 1985 Penny Hanna demo, the rest added in 2026.

Artist:Slide Man Slim & Penny Hanna
Released:May 30, 2026
Written By:Penny Hanna © 1985
Penny Hanna:Vocals, Bass Guitar, Author, Arrangement
Slim Heilpern:Guitar, Keys, Drum Programming, Audio

Lyrics

A stranger in a new land
There's danger and it's never easy to leave
It changes near the Rio Grande
You know the fear, just like the back of your hand

Just tryin' to make a life for your family
Freedom is a child you shelter carefully
But the truth cries colder than the northern air
No one seems to care, or want you there

Buenos dias America
In peace we come to your door like before
One immigrant family hoping for more

A tenement, a two room shack
His government will never let him go back
A working man come rain or shine
In America, our very own Palestine

Just tryin' to make a life for his family
Freedom is a child you shelter carefully
But the truth cries colder than the northern air
No one seems to care, or want you there

Buenos dias America
The sword turned into the plough, that is how
We guarantee there'll be liberty now

You cook and clean, scrub the floor
An old routine, that's what they're paying you for
Why does it seem so far away
A misty dream of the American way

Just tryin' to make a life for her family
Freedom is a child you shelter carefully
But the truth cries colder than the northern air
No one seems to care, or want you there

Buenos dias America
In peace we come to your door like before
One immigrant family hoping for more

Buenos dias America
The sword turned into the plough, that is how
We guarantee there'll be liberty now