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That Was Good Enough

by Frances Ancheta

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about

It's my honor to put Roy Recio's lyrics to music in this song "That Was Good Enough", honoring his father, who was a Filipino migrant farm worker in Watsonville, CA , and all of the manongs, fellow elders and ancestors of Filipino/Asian Americans, who immigrated to the United States in search of a better life and worked backbreaking hours laboring in the canneries and fruit/vegetable/sugar cane fields/farms of the West Coast states, namely California, Alaska, and Hawaii.

This particular song also is dedicated to honoring the Filipino migrant workers who were attacked by angry white rioters during the 1930 Watsonville race riots, who blamed Filipinos for taking jobs (that they did not want anyway) and taking their women. The riot resulted in the murder of Fermin Tobera. The city of Watsonville voted unanimously to issue a formal apology to the Filipino American community for what happened.

Roy founded The Tobera Project (www.toberaproject.com), dedicated to preserving the legacy of Filipino and Asian American history of the manongs who sacrificed their lives and energy to help feed the people of the United States. University of Califiornia at Santa Cruz is now housing the special historical exhibit and database/archive featuring the pictures, stories, histories, and artifacts of these manongs and their families in the Watsonville/Santa Cruz/Pajaro Valley area.

When you purchase this song, the proceeds will go directly to The Tobera Project to continue the wonderful work that Roy is doing to keep Filam/Asian American history and legacy alive. Thanks for all of your support, and for contributing to this wonderful cause. Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat! :)

lyrics

Daddy was an irrigator on the Central Coast
Haunted by the death of Fermin Tobera's ghost
We ate fried hot dogs on Wonder breast toast
Until his next paycheck came in

Mama always worried 'bout payin' the bills
Raised on a labor camp with no expensive frills
Living the life where poverty kills
She lived through tragedy, she lived through pain
Weatherman called for severe torrential rain on her pillowcase

Sun beats down into the ocean winds cool
Cauliflower crops turn into vegetable crude
Watsonville produce leaves the Pajaro train station
Gotta keep the country to feed, forgotten heroes of our growing nation

Taking my mind on a visit
So much of my life, tried to resist it
Never realized how much I would miss it
All the dreams they planned
Live within us to be the best we can
That's the life the Filipinos lived
Paving the way is what they had to give
And that was good enough

He carried pipes all day, watered the land
Wallowed in mud 'til he could barely stand
Earned every dollar that passed through his hand
Sacrifice written on his sun drenched face
All for us kids to be in a better place

Cannery and low wage workers
Ending their long weekend shifts
This is the song I sing to you

Taking my mind on a visit
So much of my life, tried to resist it
Never realized how much I would miss it
All the dreams they planned
Live within us to be the best we can
That's the life the Filipinos lived

Taking my mind on a visit
So much of my life, tried to resist it
Never realized how much I would miss it
All the dreams they planned
Live within us to be the best we can
That's the life the Filipinos lived
Paving the way is what they had to give
And that was good enough
That was good enough
That was good enough
That was good enough

Daddy was an irrigator on the central coast
He was there when we needed him most

credits

released July 24, 2022
Lyrics by Roy Recio
Music by Frances Ancheta Becker
Copyright 2022, All rights reserved

Vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, percussion/shaker by Frances Ancheta
Recorded and Mixed by CVS at Tape Vault Studio, San Francisco, CA

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about

Frances Ancheta San Francisco, California

Frances Ancheta is a Filipina American singer/songwriter and acoustic musician from San Francisco; “thoughtful, eclectic acoustic folk and indie pop/rock” with international influences. As a creative arts therapist and cancer survivor, Frances knows how music is for the soul, and helps people understand the world around them, connect with others, and heal.

www.francesanchetasongwriter.com
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