Original 1830s words:

There’s a yellow rose in Texas that I am going to see
No other darkey loves her – nobody, only me
She cried so when I left her, it like to broke my heart
And if I ever find her, we nevermore 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

Sometime about 1850 or so, this stanza was added:

Where the Rio Grande is flowing and the stars are shining 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 to her and not to leave her so

During the War, many singers changed the word darkey to soldier,
and this stanza was added to mock the bumbling job that John Bell Hood did in Tennessee:

Oh, my feet are torn and bloody and my heart is full of woe
I’m going back to Georgia to find my Uncle Joe
You may talk about your Beauregard, and sing of Bobby Lee
But the gallant Hood of Texas played Hell in Tennessee

*************

Words: Mitch Miller +/- 1960

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 little rosebud
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: