San Antonio Rose
by Bob Wills
"When I was a
very young man, I was living in Roy, New Mexico, working
as a barber and playing for dancers on Saturday night.
Since most of the population of Roy was Mexican, I wrote
a tune for them to dance to and called it 'Spanish
Two-Step.' When I did my first recording session with
Columbia in 1935, 'Spanish Two-Step' was one of the
tunes I recorded. On November 28, 1938, I went to Dallas
to record again for Columbia. After we cut several
tunes, uncle Art Satherley, who was the A & R man on
this session, asked me if I had another tune like
'Spanish Two-Step.' I said, 'No, I don't but if you give
me a few minutes, maybe I can come up with something.'
In a few minutes I had written and recorded the tune.
Uncle Art asked me what I wanted to name the tune. I
told him I didn't know. So he said, 'Let's name it "San
Antonio Rose."' This was an instrumental and it sold
very well. The recording company asked me to record it
again with lyrics. I worked for two years before finally
finishing the words and recorded 'New San Antonio Rose'
in April 1940." —Bob Wills
San Antonio Rose
Deep within my heart lies a melody
A song of old San Antone
Where in dreams I live with a memory
Beneath the stars all alone.
It was there I found beside the Alamo
Enchantment strange as the blue up above
A moonlit pass that only she would know
Still hears my broken song of love.
Moon in all your splendor knows only my heart
Call back my Rose, Rose of San Antone
Lips so sweet and tender like petals falling apart
Speak once again of my love, my own.
Broken song, empty words I know
Still live in my heart all alone
For that moonlit pass by the Alamo
And Rose, my Rose of San Antone.
