Ghosts of Esmerelda

The East Cape on Baja California Sur sits on the Sea of Cortez from the tip of the Baja north to La Paz. The story for Ghosts of Esmerelda came from one of my many visits to this area. The night I first heard the story was years ago. The tequila infused evening ended in the wee hours. As we left the ranch, my partner spoke of her vision of the ghosts on our way back to the casita where we were staying. The words to the chorus came to me in one rush of awareness right then.

Years and another visit or two south to the Baja passed with the chorus on a piece of paper on my songs to be considered pile. I just could not find the voice I needed to tell the story. In the meantime, I researched the history of the Baja peninsula to find out why everyone was so nice and hospitality so present there.

In the spring of 2022, while taking a songwriting workshop with Mary Gaither, magic happened. The voice to tell the story came to me….. an old man who was a neighbor of the ranch at the time. A neighbor was actually part of the original story told to me that fateful evening. It just took a few years for all the pieces to come together.

The verses came flowed once I had the old man to tell the story. The chorus remained in its original, unedited form.

Thanks to Alissa Wolf for the ghostly fiddle and Sound Engineer Scooter Smith.

• Ghosts of Esmerelda Lyrics

  1683 pirates roamed the sea, Jesuit priests wanted to just be
  A deal with King of Spain will bring soldiers in, keep Baja California Sur free
  Bedouin ranchers arrived instead, working hard, family, hospitality
  Things have changed since then, I heard it was the gold back when found in 1870
  
  Chorus
  Stories are told,
  With Tequila and slices of her soul
  The pain and the shame
  In the walls and the rafters
  Where they remain
  At that old ranch near Palo Escopeta
  Are the Ghosts of Esmerelda
  
  I am old man who knew the truth back then, not an old man who was wise
  Heard the news that day, I was not surprised, she had spoken of her demise
  Oh Esmerelda, caught in a web of lies, haunted by all the eyes and silenced cries
  Left your story in a mirror of stars and skies, as you saw your last sunrise
  
  Chorus
  
  An unfinished life, so much strife, a young girl trying to just be
  At a remote ranch with rolling hills dry plants not too far from the sea
  Story trying to be told, unseen unexpected unknown except to me
  Candles flicker with truth, tales told of abuse, and still singing nearer my god to thee

  CHORUS
  
  © Geoff Wolf 2022