The Yellow Rose of Texas

Melody - Melody - 1853, by a J.K.

There's a yellow rose in Texas
That I am going to see,
Nobody else could miss her,
Just half as much as me.
She cried so when I left her,
It like to broke my heart,
And if I ever find her
We never more will part.
Chorus:
She's the sweetest rose of color
That Texas ever knew,
Her eyes are bright as diamonds,
They sparkle like the dew.
You can talk about your Clementine
And sing of Rosa Lee,
But the Yellow Rose of Texas
Is the only gal for me.
When the Rio Grande is flowing,
And the starry skies are bright
She walks along the river
In the quiet summer night
She thinks if I remember,
When we parted long ago,
I promised to come back again
And not to leave her so.
Chorus:
O, now I'm going to find her,
For my heart is full of woe,
And we'll sing the songs together,
That we sung long ago;
We'll play the banjo gaily,
And we'll sing the songs of yore,
And the Yellow Rose of Texas
Will be mine forevermore.
Chorus:

A popular Confederate marching song during the Civil War and later with the U.S. Cavalry on western frontier and along the cattle trails.

According to legend "The Yellow Rose of Texas" was "high yellow" Emily Morgan West, who was born a slave and captured by general Santa Anna during the Texas Revolution in 1836. The General tried to win her charms and failed, but Emily managed to smuggle Santa Anna's battle plans to Sam Houston who then defeated Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto. Perhaps Texas would still be part of Mexico today, were it not for the "High yeller Rose", who knows?