Once I had a sweetheart

She meant the world to me

I met her on the road one night when we were in Tennessee

I met her in a barroom after we'd done a show

We sat and talked about the Louvins 'til the 'tender called time to go

She wrote her address on a napkin

I wrote mine on my CD

She said, "It was sure nice talking to you"

I said, "You'll be hearing from me"

I wrote her a letter the next day

She wrote one in return

The letters we wrote each other could have made the mailbox burn

Yo-de-lay-he-he-hoo

I wrote her a long letter and told her that I loved her so

And if she'd come to New York to the altar we would go

I sent it with a dozen roses and I waited for her reply

Til the day the letter came my way that made me want to die

It said, "I know that you love New York

So wild and fancy free

And I love you, dear,

But I also love my home in Tennessee

Now I know that you'd be no more happy here than in the city I would

be

So though I love you dear

I'm gonna stay right here

Home in Tennessee"

Yo-de-lay-he-he-hoo

And now I know I will never wed

But a bachelor I'll always be

'Cause my heart belongs to a pretty girl down in Tennessee

Yo-de-lay-he-he-hoo