I can find no thread devoted to this song. The lyrics below are close to the version (unnumbered in the DT) but the original "darkey" is substituted for the "soldier" of the DT. "Some" questions are answered here, and I hope other answers will be found.
The version here is from the original sheet music printed by Firth and Pond, New York, 1858, by "J. K."
THE YELLOW ROSE OF TEXAS
1. There's a yellow rose in Texas that I am going to see.
No other darkey knows her, no darkey only 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 this darkey ever knew.
Her eyes are bright as diamonds; they sparkle like the dew.
You may talk about your Dearest May and sing of Rosa Lee,
But the yellow rose of Texas beats the belles of Tennessee.
2. Where 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 promis'd to come back again, and not to leave her so.
3. Oh! now I'm going to find her, for my heart is full of woe,
And we'll sing the song together, that we sung so long ago;
We'll play the banjo gaily, and we'll sing the songs of yore,
And the yellow rose of Texas shall be mine for evermore.
(1) sic. The song is believed to have a minstrel origin. Cox, "Folk-Songs of the South," notes for song #128, refers to "Christy's Plantation Melodies No. 2," p. 52; "The Christy Minstrels Song Book (London) II, 84 (with music) and others. "J. K." has never been identified.
The song was popular during the Civil War. It is included in a little volume called "Songs of Love and Liberty," by "a North Carolina Lady," 1864, p. 35, same words as the sheet music.
The Traditional Ballad Index CUFresno repeats the tale (nonsense) told by James "Sparky" Rucker that the yellow Rose was Santa Anna's girl friend; others added to the story later, saying that she told Santa Anna's plans to the Texans, was a prostitute, etc. All of these stories seem to be modern. there is no evidence that the song existed at the time of the Mexican War, or during the Texas struggle.
"Songs of Love and Liberty," in the North Carolina series, "Documenting the American South: Yellow Rose of Texas
Levy Colection: THE YELLOW ROSE OF TEXAS
Also see thread 15359: Why Yellow
Thread 23549" yellow rose rhythm
For reference and comparison, here are the entries from the Digital Tradition and the Traditional Ballad Index.
-Joe Offer-
THE YELLOW ROSE OF TEXAS
There's a yellow rose in Texas that I am going to see,
No other soldier knows her, no soldier only 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.
Cho: She's the sweetest rose of color this soldier ever knew,
Her eyes are bright like diamonds, they sparkle like the dew
You may talk about your dearest May and sing of Rosa Lee,
But the Yellow Rose of Texas is the only girl 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
Oh, now I'm going to find her, for my heart is full of woe
And we'll sing the song together, that we sang so long ago
We'll play the banjo gaily, and we'll sing the songs of yore,
And the Yellow Rose of Texas shall be mine forevermore.
Note: Tinsley, in He Was Singing This Song, states that the original Yellow Rose
was an indentured servant, the "high yellow" Emily Morgan, who kept Santa Ana
dallying in lascivious torment so long that his leaderless men lost the Battle
of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836. The song was published only in the late
1850s by Firth, Pond and Co., and credited vaguely to "J.K.", according to
Spaeth. EC
@love @America @Civil @army
filename[ YELLOWTX
TUNE FILE: YELLOWTX
CLICK TO PLAY
DC
PLEASE NOTE: Because of the volunteer nature of The Digital Tradition, it is difficult to ensure proper attribution and copyright information for every song included. Please assume that any song which lists a composer is copyrighted ©. You MUST aquire proper license before using these songs for ANY commercial purpose. If you have any additional information or corrections to the credit or copyright information included, please e-mail those additions or corrections to us (along with the song title as indexed) so that we can update the database as soon as possible. Thank You.Yellow Rose of Texas, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer is going to see his "Yellow Rose" -- "The sweetest rose of color this (darkey) ever knew; Her eyes are bright as diamonds; They sparkle like the dew." He promises that "if I ever find her, we never more will part."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1858
KEYWORDS: love courting separation reunion
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (7 citations):
RJackson-19CPop, pp. 253-257, "The Yellow Rose of Texas" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-CivWar, pp. 28-29, "The Yellow Rose of Texas" (1 text, 1 tune)
Gilbert, pp. 20-21, "The Yellow Rose of Texas" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 272, "The Yellow Rose Of Texas" (1 text)
JHCox 128, "The Yellow Rose of Texas" (1 text)
Fuld-WFM, p. 661+, "The Yellow Rose of Texas"
DT, YELLOWTX*
RECORDINGS:
New Lost City Ramblers, "Yellow Rose of Texas" [instrumental] (on NLCR07)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Yellow Rose of Taegu" (tune)
SAME TUNE:
The Yellow Rose of Taegu (File: EM410)
Song of the Texas Rangers (NOT Laws A8; War Songs and Poems of the Southern Confederacy, pp. 175-176)
Notes: Extremely popular with Southern troops in the Civil War, and frequently parodied, the first known publication of this piece occurred in 1858 (published by William A. Pond). That version appears to be a minstrel piece; in it, both lovers are "darkeys." The only attribution is to "J.K.," who was and still remains unknown.
It is interesting that, in the Civil War, the troops often sang, "She's the sweetest rose of color this SOLDIER (or, later, FELLOW) ever knew." This would hardly have been acceptable to the Southern gentry; it was miscegenation. - RBW
James "Sparky" Rucker places this song in the period of the Mexican War, stating that the "Yellow Rose" was Santa Anna's mulatto (American) girlfriend, who stole his battle plans before the battle of San Jacinto and delivered them to the American army. - PJS
File: RJ19253Yellow Rose of Taegu, The
DESCRIPTION: A reluctant soldier meets the Yellow Rose of Taegu, a good two-dollar whore, who makes him forget the perils of war.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE:
KEYWORDS: bawdy sex soldier whore
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Cray, pp. 410-412, "The Yellow Rose of Taegu" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, YLLOWTX4*
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Yellow Rose of Texas" (tune)
File: EM410
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