I have a copy of the sheet music somewhere. By the time I found the music I had already collected the song from the oral tradition and learned it for performance, so that the version here may vary somewhat from printed sources and from that of other singers.
Across from Mississippi’s vale,
With my old hat set for a sail
I crossed upon a cotton bale,
To Rose of Alabama
And when I reached that flow’ry bank
I sat down on a splint’ry plank
And there I made my banjo twank
For Rose of Alabama.
CHO: O brown Rosie,
Rose of Alabama
A sweet tobacco posy
Is my Rose of Alabama
After directly, by and by,
The moon rose white as Rosie’s eye
And like a young ‘coon out so sly
Stole Rose of Alabama
I said ‘sit down jus’ where you please’—
Across my lap she took her ease;
‘It’s sweet to sit upon your knees,’
Said Rose of Alabama.
CHORUS
The river roll, the cricket sing,
The light’nin’ bug he flash his wing
Jus’ like a rope my arms I fling
‘Round Rose of Alabama.
How long we hugged I cannot tell;
But Rosie seemed to like it well
My banjo in the river fell
O! Rose of Alabama.
CHORUS
Like alligator after prey
I jump in, but it float away
And as it float it seemed to say,
"O, Rose of Alabama.
Now every night, by moon or show’r
I hunt that banjo for an hour
And visit my tobacco flower,
The Rose of Alabama.
HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 12-Feb-02.
sj