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