The Yellow Rose of Texas came down by the Eildon Tree
As her hair shone in the morning sun, her eyes were wild and free
And I knew I would go with her, 'cos she put a spell on me


She told me she would take me where the Johnson folk still trade
She carried gold and silver and the finest French brocade
I told her I had nothing, just my shoes and my old hat
She said, ‘Watch out where you’re walkin' tonight, 'cos I've seen 'em killed for much less than that…’


Her hair was of the grass-green silk
Her mantle of the velvet fine
And hung upon her horse's mane
Were sixty silver bells and nine



We came upon a doctor who plied everything you like
She said, ‘Do you wanna get high?’ I said, ‘Well, I guess, alright.
If you're havin' one, I'm havin' one.’ And then we had three.
By the time she left in the morning there was nothing left of me.


I went and got myself a horse, I had to rob to get it
I carried myself a gun and I chased that woman across the desert
And when I came upon her, she fell down on her knees
She says, ‘I know I took your shoes and hat, but please don’t shoot me, please!’


I says, ‘What d'you want? You jes left me there in that desperate one-horse town!’
She says, ‘I can't help it, D.W., it's in my nature, just like the frog and scorpion drowned.’
I didn't know what she was talking about and I was just about to say
But she popped me with a little two-shot Derringer and that was the end of me.