From the film “The Alamo,” 1960
Words by Paul Francis Webster
Music by Dimitri Tiomkin
The sheet music:
Lyrics
In the southern part of Texas
Near the town of San Antone
Stands a fortress all in ruins
That the 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 ’em as they answer
To that roll call in the sky
Interlude:
Colonel Travis, Davy Crockett
And a hundred eighty more
Captain Dickenson, Jim Bowie
Present and accounted for
1. Back in eighteen thirty-six
Houston said to Travis
“Get some volunteers and go fortify the Alamo”
Well, the men came from Texas and from old Tennessee
And they joined up with Travis
Just to fight for the right to be free
2. Injun 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 ’em that day
“Those who want to can leave now
Those who’ll fight to the death, let ’em stay”
3. In the sand he drew a line with his army sabre
Out of a hundred eighty-nine
Not a soldier crossed the line
With his banners a-dancing in the dawn’s golden light
Santa Ana came prancing on a horse
That was black as the night
4. Sent an officer to tell Travis to surrender
Travis answered with a shell
And a rousing rebel yell
Santa Ana turned scarlet, “Play deguello,” he roared
“I will give them no quarter
Everyone will be put to the sword”
5. One hundred eighty-nine brave men
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 troops that were coming never came
Never came, never came
6. Twice he charged and blew “recall”
On the fatal third time
Santa Ana breached the wall
And he killed them one and all
Now the bugles are silent
And there’s rust on each sword
And this 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
Then his eyes turn sorta 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