Does anyone remember if Pete Curry tabbed this one?
Yes he did, and it's included in the late Dieter Folger's Trio Database,which can be downloaded from Ken Laing's Kingston Trio Place here:
https://www.kingstontrioplace.com/triobase.htm
Dieter was a huge Trio fan and assembled the database more than 20 years ago. Sadly, he died suddenly more than a decade ago. His database included maybe two hundred lyrics, about fifty with chords, including "Alamo." Most of the chords were provided by Pete Curry.
The Database is well worth a download - it's easy to install and use and is not an especially large file. Here is a copy/paste from Pete's arrangement, though as we have seen before, the paste will not locate the chord names in the right position over the words - another good reason to download the whole database:
REMEMBER THE ALAMO
Jane Bowers
Chords by Pete Curry
NOTE: The Trio recorded "Remember the Alamo" in
the key of Db. Capoing at the first fret and
playing in C is awkward, since the song includes
the typical Spanish whole tone chord change which
would require a Bb. However, none of the other
capo/chord group combinations I tried matched what
I heard Bob Shane playing, which sounded low on the
neck. Then I arrived at a simple soultion: tune the
guitar down a half step and play in D! This way, all
of the required chords (D, Em, C, Dmaj7, G, F#m, G6)
are easy and close at hand.
INTRO:
D#/D-D, D#/D-D*
D Em D C D C D
A hundred and eighty were challenged by Travis to die
D Em D C D C D
By the line that he drew with his sword when the battle was nigh
G F#m
The man who would fight 'til the death cross over
Em Dmaj7**
But him that would live better fly
D Em D C D C D
And over his line went a hundred and seventy-nine
CHORUS:
G F#m
Hi! Up! Santy Anno, we're killin' your soldiers below
Em F#m
So the rest of Texas will know
G6 D D#/D-D, D#D-D
And remember the Alamo
Jim Bowie lay dyin', his powder was ready and dry.
From flat on his back, Bowie killed him a few in reply,
And young Davy Crockett was smilin' and laughin'.
The challenge was fierce in his eye.
For Texas and freedom, a man more than willin' to die.
Chorus
A courier sent to the battlements, bloody and loud.
With words of fare well in the letters he carried were proud.
"Grieve not, little darlin', my dyin'
if Texas is sovereign and free.
We'll never surrender and ever will liberty be!"
*To play D#/D, just slide the D chord up one fret--
5th and 4th strings remain open. (This gives the same
"Spanish" effect you get when you move an E chord up
one fret and strum all six strings.) I barre the 6th
string with my thumb when I play a first position D chord,
and that moves up one fret, also. (Bob Shane emphasized
that note on the 6th string when playing this D#D/D to D change.)
**Dmaj7=1st three strings/2nd fret; 4th & 5th strings open;
6th string/2nd fret.
***G6=1st position G chord with 1st string open;
G & Em also work here.
FOR BANJO--Transpose as follows (capo 1, C tuning):
D = C
Em = Dm
C = Bb
Dmaj7 = Cmaj7 (like C, but 2nd string open)
G = F
F#m = Em
G6 = F6 (4th & 3rd string/2nd fret; 2nd string/1st fret;
1st string/3rd fret (like D7 with the 1st string/3rd fret added).
Message Thread
« Back to index