Remember the Alamo

Remember the Alamo...

by Tony Ryals

Remember the Alamo- that's what they said,
When I was just a naive kid,
A bunch of illiterates from Tennessee,
Following a trail down the Mississippi,
Going down to Texas to set it free,
From Santa Anna's tyranny,
And what the yuch,
With any luck,
To introduce black slavery,
Just like in Tennessee,
Make all those white boys rich and free,
With guns on their laps,
Wearing coon skin caps,
Give them any flack,
They'd put a Bowie knife in your back,
Remember the Alamo it made us great,
Remember the Alamo it won our state,
Remember the Alamo it won the war,
Remember the Alamo it made us who we are,
Over a century later they ain't changed so much,
With their state's environment they're still out of touch,
I feel so sorry for Bush's grandchildren,
Who'll have to learn to swim in the water he spit in,
No spotted owls to spot,
No peregrines to see,
In these Americas - this land of the free,
You may know the truth but it won't make you free,
You may know the truth but you won't be able to flee,
Then we'll really be living Newt Gingrich's,
Or Phil Graham's post-industry,
Although we have computer hackers,
We're still controlled by petroleum traffickers,
The Hunts, the Hughes, the wild catters,
And the Bushes,
One of them pulls while the other one pushes,
Oil from the ground as fast as it gushes,
Then having gotten wealthy on this chemical feast,
Invest your oil in the Middle East,
And send your children to fight in the land
Of the Christian beast,
Then there's the Texas bankers and their lawyers-
A motely crowd,
Giving to their churches of which they're so proud,
To their suit ties they are bowed,
Like a bad prayer not over loud,
If the federal government had not bailed them out,
The people of Texas would not have them about,
Giving to the corrupt politicians who shout,
Kill all the commies and kick the socialists out,
But socialism in whose name,
That of the bankers and their comrades again,
Who got overly generous loans,
On desert land dry as bones,
On real estate with dilapidated apartments and homes,
And when it all fell apart they paid nothing back,
Just blame it on ethics - something they lack,
Don't mess with Texas -that's what they say,
But they made it a mess - they like it that way.