I too fondly remember and love this song from my youth, and it took me a long time to finally track it down as I didn't know who the singers were. While the lyrics posted above are the same as I've found elswhere, the actual singing of it by the Ames Bros was slightly different.

I swear still that in the second stanza where the posted lyrics say:
"Well, the years went by.." was really
"Now years went by...

"... I left one year, for a town in Iowa" was actually sung as:
"... I left one morn, for a town in Iowa"

Third stanza difference:
"Well, there she stood like a pretty rose..." was really
"Well, there she was like a pretty rose..."

Listen for yourself at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dxiMF9-I-A

This of course doesn't dampen its appeal, just wish the published words matched the performance.