Yellow Rose of Texas

A promise to return to a sweetheart beside the Rio Grande.

Status: Traditional repertoire · working songbook
Writer / source: Nineteenth-century American song; composer often listed as unknown/J.K.
Rights: Older song or tune family. The source of this particular working version and its arrangement is still being reviewed.
Related Scrips recording: No Scrips recording linked yet.

Source research

Documented lineage

Earliest evidence: 1858 sheet music publication
Aliases / index: The Yellow Rose of Texas
Working arrangement: Key G · Capo 2 · 4/4 time · 110 BPM (working)

Evidence 01 Evidence 02 Download full research note ↓

Working lyrics + chords

Working song sheet

Download text file ↓ Download ChordPro ↓

There's a yellow rose in Texas that I am going to see,No other fellow knows her, no other only me;
She cried so when I left her, it like to broke my heart,And if I ever find her we never more shall part.

She's the sweetest little rosebud that Texas ever knew,Her eyes are bright as diamonds, they sparkle like the dew;
You may talk about your Clementine and sing of Rosy Lee,But the Yellow Rose of Texas is the only girl for me.

Where the Rio Grande is flowing, and 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 return and not to leave her so.

Repeat chorus

Oh now I'm going to find her, for my heart is full of woe,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.

Repeat chorus

Archive note

This is a working band sheet. Lyrics, repeats, and chord placement remain subject to the band’s final review.

Chords

G · C · D