Digital Tradition Mirror

Moses Rose of Texas

(This score available as ABC, SongWright, PostScript, PNG, or PMW, or a MIDI file)
Pennywhistle notation and Dulcimer tab for this song is also available

Moses Rose of Texas
(Stephen L. Suffet; music trad)

He's Moses Rose of Texas,
And today nobody knows,
He's the one who left the Alamo,
The night before the foe,
Came storming up across the walls,
And killed the men inside,
But Moses Rose of Texas,
Is the one who never died.

When gallant Colonel Travis,
Drew a line down in the sand,
Everyone stepped over,
But one solitary man.
They called him Rose the Coward,
And they called him Yellow Rose,
But it takes bravery to stand alone,

As God Almighty knows.

He said, "I'm not a coward,
I just think it isn't right,
For me to throw my life away,
In someone else's fight.
I have no quarrel with Mexicans,
Nor with the Texans, too."
So Moses Rose of Texas,
He bade the men adieu.

Whenever you are up against,
Pressure from your peers,
Or a challenge to your manhood,
Or frightened by the jeers,
Remember that discretion,
Is valor's better part,
And let the life of Moses Rose,
Put courage in your heart.

So shed a tear for Travis,
And Davy Crockett, too,
And cry for old Jim Bowie,
They saw the battle through.
But when you're finished weeping,
And you're finished with your wail,
Then give a grin for Moses Rose,
Who lived to tell the tale!

This song tells the true story of the one man at the Alamo who left the
night before the final battle. Rose, an immigrant from Germany, got caught
up in the excitement, but reconsidered his commitment when it became
apparent he was in a no-win situation. It is through his account that we
know of Col. William B. Travis's famous line-in-the-sand challenge.


(Copyright Stephen L. Suffett 1995)
Music: "The Yellow Rose of Texas" (traditional)
SLS
apr97

Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!