Written: Melendres Street, Las Cruces NM, 1976
Knees heard a line in “Viva Max!”, a Peter Ustinov film about the Alamo and someone called “Alamo Rose” and thought it’d make a good song title. There was already a song about Rose from San Antone, but not one about Rose from the Alamo. The words and melody just seem to write themselves.
There were hard times for us all
Back then in San Antone
But it seemed like we always
Had enough for a drink
An it was right here in this bar
Cross the street from the Alamo
That I first met my Rosie
Who taught me to think
About the changes that we’d see
As the years rush on by
She said “We can stop them
If you’ll just sit here with me.
We’ll look out the window
At the beautiful Alamo
It never changes and neither will we.”
Oh I used to call her my Alamo Rosie
I’ll always remember the way that she would say
“I’ve been here forever and I’ll be here tomorrow
Break it to me gently when it all blows away.”
I loved her more than was good for a man
But it was love that kept us young
As the years passed like days
I was holding her hand with tears in my eyes
The night she saw the Alamo crumble away.
Oh I used to call her my Alamo Rosie
I’ll always remember the way that she would say
“I’ve been here forever and I’ll be here tomorrow
Break it to me gently when it all blows away.”
I broke it to her gently when it all blew away.