Lyrks
Lyrks
Lyrks
Cover Art

Not the Ballad of Emma Tenayuca Lyrics by Texas Textbooks

0

The Shellers can’t believe they’ve cut their wages
Hunched together in the cracking plant
End of one more grueling week
Plan to go see Emma speak
She tells them it’s their right to take a stand
She waves her fist and talks about their labor
About women like them who fought Finck cigars
The Mexican worker stands oppressed
Our Culture robbed language suppressed
Not even labor is rightfully ours
Women formed into committees
No way forward until you lead yourself
Better our own power then someone’s else’s help
She says
The shellers lining up on Zarzamora
Marching down Casiano way
Crowd shouts 7 cents a lb
50 per 100 lbs broken down
No overtime without corresponding pay
Chief Kilday has called for reinforcements
Sent riot squads to the Westside
Strike begins at 7 O’clock
Arrests made on the sidewalk
Just as soon talk them all in
Picked up Leandro Avila
Arrest Mrs. Brooks and take her downtown
Don’t want Reds mixed up with what is going down
Around here
Emma Tenayuca no one’s trying to make an idol
Of you / it’s for the union, for the workers and
What they do
Members meet at pecos and Matamoros
Shelters cram into the union hall
In the back they start to shout
We have to go get Emma out
Pick on her you pick on us all
A group marches to the police station
It’s time the other half of town know
Put the red bait rumors all to rest
She works with us at our request
We demand you let la pasionera go
Clarions of reaction
The COC archbishop and vigilance committee
Downplay the numbers of those rising up in the city
In the light
Emma Tenayuca no one’s trying to make an idol of you / it’s for the union, for the workers and what they do
30 days of tear gas and harassment
Ban on picketers and closed kitchen doors
But the strikers hold fast to their station
Governor calls for arbitration
C.I.O. managers and the mayor
Six more busted for their banners on Colima
Kilday worries the govner’ll call for marshal law
Cops admit to too much gas
Announce a settlements about to pass
To overflowed meeting at the Hall
Collective bargain
Nothing works so good you know
Emma’s the one who told us so
Emma Tenayuca no one’s trying to make an idol of you / it’s for the union, for the workers and what they do
Credits
Texas Textbooks

Texas Textbooks

About “Not the Ballad of Emma Tenayuca” by Texas Textbooks

Read the complete lyrics to "Not the Ballad of Emma Tenayuca" by Texas Textbooks. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Country.

"Not the Ballad of Emma Tenayuca" is performed by Texas Textbooks. This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Not the Ballad of Emma Tenayuca", explore more songs by Texas Textbooks using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

View all songs and biography for Texas Textbooks · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"Not the Ballad of Emma Tenayuca" is credited to Texas Textbooks. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

Album information for "Not the Ballad of Emma Tenayuca" is not available in our database yet. You can still read the full lyrics on this page.

Visit the Texas Textbooks artist page at /artist/texas-textbooks for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.