The original 1858 version used 'darky' not 'soldier'. 'Yellow' of course meant a woman of mixed race. Later, soldiers of the South also altered the chorus to the rather lame "She's the sweetest little flower...." In this version Bill Hayes sings the original and better chorus line, "She's the sweetest rose of color this soldier ever knew..." (but substitutes "fella" - because he's neither a soldier nor (clearly) African American.)
There's a yellow rose in Texas, that I am going to see,
No other soldier knows her, no soldier only me
She cryed [sic] 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 soldier 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.
When the Rio Grande is flowing, the starry skies are bright,
She walks along the river in the quite [sic] 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
Oh now I'm going to find her, for my heart is full of woe,
And we'll sing the songs togeather [sic], that we sung so long ago
We'll play the bango gaily, and we'll sing the songs of yore,
And the Yellow Rose of Texas shall be mine forevermore.
Chorus