[Verse 1]
The wind cut cold through the chapel stones,
In the dark of the old Alamo Mission,
Where fewer than two hundred held the line
While a thousand campfires burned below.
From the towers of San Antonio,
Came the drums of Antonio López de Santa Anna,
And the red flag flew—no quarter given—
In the chill before the dawn.
[Verse 2]
William B. Travis bent low by candlelight,
Ink scratching thin on the page:
“To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World—
I shall never surrender or retreat.”
He sealed his plea for aid and mercy,
Sent it riding through the siege,
While James Bowie lay fevered,
On a cot behind the guns.
[Chorus]
Hold the line till the morning breaks,
Though the walls may fall like rain,
From the chapel yard to the north barricade,
Stand fast through smoke and flame.
If the help don’t come, let history say
They chose to fight that day—
In the shadow of the Alamo,
They would not turn away.
[Verse 3]
Davy Crockett with his rifle, “Old Betsy,”
Walked the parapet at night,
Tennessee tales and quiet laughter
To keep the boys upright.
He’d come for land and liberty,
For a second start in life,
And now he stood with Tejano friends
And farmers turned to rifles.
[Verse 4]
Bowie’s breath was ragged thunder,
But his will was iron still—
“Put me where I best can fight,”
He said, “and I surely will.”
He’d quarreled once for command of men,
But sickness stilled that pride;
Now Travis held the fort alone,
With Bowie at his side.
[Chorus]
Hold the line till the morning breaks,
Though the cannons shake the sky,
From the Low Barracks to the palisade,
Let no man falter, fly.
If the help don’t come from Gonzales,
If Fannin cannot make his way,
In the shadow of the Alamo,
We’ll meet our fate at day.
[Verse 5]
On the night of March the fifth,
When the guns fell strangely still,
Some say Travis drew a line in dust
And asked who had the will.
Step by step they crossed that mark,
By lantern’s trembling gleam—
A vow beneath the Texas stars,
Or so the old men dreamed.
[Bridge]
Before the dark gave way to gray,
The bugles split the air—
Columns moved in silent ranks,
Scaling ladders there.
Cannons roared from battered walls,
Grapeshot tore the ranks,
But numbers pressed from every side
Through smoke and shattered planks.
[Verse 6]
Travis fell beside his guns,
A bullet through his brow.
Crockett swung his empty rifle
When the fight was hand to hand now.
In the chapel and the courtyard
Steel rang sharp and wild,
And Bowie, from his sickbed,
Met the storm defiled.
[Verse 7]
Room by room the fire spread,
Till the last shots cracked and died.
Some were cut where they stood and fought,
Some fell where they tried.
By sunrise it was finished,
The eagle standard flown—
And silence filled the mission
Where brave men lay alone.
[Final Chorus]
Hold the line till the morning breaks—
They held it to the end.
From Tennessee and Louisiana,
From Texian and Tejano friend.
No surrender in their final breath,
No retreat in flame—
And the cry that rose from Texas soil
Still carries their names.
[Outro]
Remember Davy Crockett, remember James Bowie,
Remember the letters sent in vain—
For in the dust of the Alamo
Their stand outlived their pain.
Copyright February 12, 2026, by Stephen Craig Whitley – All Rights Reserved
