One of my fondest memories
Was sittin' on my daddy's knee
Listenin' to the stories that he told
He pulled out that old photograph
Like a treasured memory from the past, and said
"Child, this is the Vanlear Rose"
Now, the Vanlear Rose coulda had her pick
And all the fellas figured rich
Until this poor boy caught her eye
The fellas would all laugh and say
"You're dreaming boy, she'll never look you way
You'll never, every own the Vanlear Rose"
She was the belle of Johnson county
Ohio river to Big Sandy
A beauty to behold like a diamond in the coal
All the miners they would gather 'round
And talk about the man that came to town
Right under their nose stole the heart
of the Vanlear Rose
Then one night in mid-July
Underneath that old blue Kentucky sky
Well, that poor boy won that beauty's heart
Then my daddy would look at my mommy and smile
As he brushed the hair back from my eyes
and he'd say
"You're mama, she's the Vanlear Rose"
She was the belle of Johnson county
Ohio river to Big Sandy
A beauty to behold like diamond in the coal
All the miners they would gather 'round
And talk about the man that came to town
Right under their nose stole the heart
of the Vanlear Rose
Right under their nose stole the heart
of the Vanlear Rose
