Ballad of the Alamo Songtext

von Johnny Horton

In the southern part of Texas,
In the town of San Antone
Is a fortress all in ruins,
That weeds have overgrown.

You may look in vain for crosses,
And you'll never see a-one,
But sometimes between the setting
And the rising of the sun
You can hear a ghostly bugle
As the men go marching by,
You can hear them as they answer
To that roll call in the sky.

Colonel Travis, Davey Crockett
And a hundred eighty more,
Captain Dickenson and Jim Bowie,
Present and accounted for.

Back in 1836 Houston said to Travis:
"Get some volunteers and go
For defy the Alamo!"
Well, the men came from Texas
And from all of Tennessee,
And they joined up with Travis
Just to fight for the right to be free.

Indian Scouts with squirrel guns,]
Men with muzzle-loaders
Stood together heel and toe
To defend the Alamo.
"You may ne'er see your loved ones."
Travis told them that day,
"Those who want to can leave now,
Those who fight to the death, let them stay!"
In the sand he drew a line
With his army saber.
Out of a hundred and eightyfive
Not a soldier crossed the line.

With his banners a-dancing
In the dawns golden light
Santa Ana came prancing
On a horse that was black as the night.

Sending off a sue to tell
Travis to surrender.
Travis answered with a shell
And a rousing rebel yell.
Santa Ana turned scarlet,
["Play De Guello" he roared,
"I will show them no quarter!
Everyone will be put to the sword!"

185 holding back five thousand
Five days, six days, eight days, ten,
Travis held and held again.
Then he sent for replacements
For his wounded and lame
But the troups, that were coming
Never came, never came, never came.

Twice he charged and blew recall.
On the fatal third time
Santa Ana breeched the wall,
And he killed them one and all.

Now the bugles are silent,
And there's rust on each sword,
And the small band of soldiers
Lie asleep in the arms of the Lord.

In the southern part of Texas
Near the town of San Antone
Like a statue on his Pinto
Rides a cowboy all alone.
And he sees the cattle grazing
Where a century before
Santa Ana's guns were blazing,
And the cannons used to roar.
And his eyes turn sort of misty,
And his heart begins to glow,
And he takes his hat off slowly
To the men of Alamo,
To the thirteen days of glory
At the siege of Alamo.