Los Rinches De Texas
 
(The Texas Rangers)
 
Dueto Reynosa. Comp. Willie López
 
Chulas Fronteras Brazos Films Video Cassette 104. Reynosa, Tamps. c. 1967
 

 

 
Voy a cantarles, señores,
De los pobres infortunios
De algo que sucedió
El día primero de junio.
 
En el condado de estrella
En el merito Rio Grande
Junio de '67
Sucedió un hecho de sangre.
 
Es una triste verdad
De unos pobres campesinos
Que brutalmente golpearon
Esos rinches asesinos.
 
Decía Magdaleno Dimas,
"Yo no opusé resistencia
Rendido y bien asustado
Me golpearon sin conciencia."
 
Decía Benjamín Rodríguez
Sin hacer ningún extremo,
"Ya no me peguen' cobardes,
"Ya no me peguen' cobardes,
En el nombre del Ser Supremo."
 
Esos rinches maldecidos
Los mandó el gobernador
A proteger los melones
De un rico conservador.
 
Mr. Canalis, señores,
Es el mal gobernador
Que aborrece al mexicano
Y se burla del dolor.
 
Me despido, mis hermanos
Con dolor de corazón
Como buenos mexicanos
Pertenezcan a la unión
 

 
I'm going to sing
Of the sad misfortune
That occurred
On the first of June.
 
In the year of 'Sixty-seven
In Star County
There was blood spilled
Right by the Rio Grande.
 
It is sad but true
About the poor farm workers
Who were brutally assaulted
By those murdering Rangers
 
Magdaleno Dimas said
"I did not resist them."
Frightened and helpless
They beat me without conscience."
 
Benjamín Rodríguez said,
"Don't hit me any more, you cowards.
Our people will win
In the name of the Supreme Being."
 
Those hated Rangers
Were sent by the governor
To protect the melons
Of a conservative rancher.
 
Mr. Connally, señores,
Is an evil ruler
Who hates the Mexican
And scorns human pain.
 
Farewell, my brothers,
With a heartache
I bid you be good Mexicans
And join the Union!
 

 
Analysis
 
The corrido "Los Rinches de Texas" is a typical example of inter-racial tension and "rinche" violence that occurred on the Lower Rio Grande border. Rinche violence was experienced by many Texas-Mexicans in this area, and the corrido draws attention to this violence. In stanza two, the third line, "there was blood spilled" already indicates the type of violence the Rangers inflicted on the people. In this corrido, the farmworkers are the victims of sever brutality. We have two examples of innocent victims according to the corrido, Magdaleno Dímas and Benjamín Rodríguez. The two main speech events of these characters show that the violence was inflicted on them. Dímas says in stanza five, "I did not resist them. Frightened and helpless, they beat me without conscience." In the speech event by Rodríguez we see the typical insult of the rinches that occurs in corridos dealing with racial tension, the term "coward" when referring to the Anglo Rangers. Another issue, which I feel is important, is the negative attitude towards the governor. The corridista is strongly says that the governor is an evil ruler, who is prejudice against Mexicans. He also states in the third to last stanza that the governor wants to protect the melons of the rich ranchers, rather than the people. I think that the corrido is trying to show the attitude of the community towards the violence, which shows the outrage of the events, which are still protected by the governor. It uses this outrage to propose joining the union. The importance of this corrido is to show the injustice that is occurring along the border, but to also get the Mexicans to stand up for their rights because it is apparent that the governor is not going to stand up for them.
 
Home
 
Jaime's Home
 
History
 
Bibliography