Thompson's musical style, characterized as Honky Tonk Swing, is a mixture of big-band instrumentation, fiddle and steel guitar that supports his distinctive, gravelly baritone vocals on songs he often writes himself. His backing band, The Brazos Valley Boys, was voted the No.1 Country Western Band for 14 years in a row by Billboard Magazine.
He decided to pursue his musical talent after serving in the U.S. Navy in World War II as a radioman and studying electrical engineering at the university level. His first single was "Whoa Sailor" in 1946. The year 1952 brought his first #1 disc, "The Wild Side of Life", which contained the memorable line "I didn't know God made honky-tonk angels" (which inspired the Kitty Wells response, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels"). Other hits followed in quick succession in the 1950s and 1960s. Although not as prominent in later decades, he has remained an active and respected performer in the field, finding new audiences as a result of the resurgence of a harder-edged sound in country music.
Hank Thompson was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1989 and was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1997. He was born 3 September 1925 in Waco, Texas, and passed away at home in Keller, Texas, on 6 November 2007, just four days after cancelling his final tour.
San Antonio Rose
Hank Thompson Lyrics
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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 loveMoon in all your splendor know 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
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 know 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
The lyrics of Hank Thompson's song "San Antonio Rose" speaks of a man's undying love for his lost lover, Rose. The melody in his heart invokes memories of old San Antone, where he dreams of living with Rose beneath the stars. He reminisces about a moonlit pass they shared near the Alamo where he found a strange enchantment. Although the words he speaks are empty, and his broken song of love goes unheard, the melody of it still lives in his heart.
The lyrics portray a melancholic tale of lost love, which indicates the power of music to bring back memories and desires. The song speaks of the singer's deep-rooted emotions, which are felt through the melody of the song. The reference to the Alamo, a symbol of heroic resistance, gives context to the song's melancholic tone. As the singer longs for his lost love, he is also yearning for a bygone time when he and Rose shared a moonlit pass by the Alamo.
Line by Line Meaning
Deep within my heart lies a melody
I hold a melody within my heart
A song of old San Antone
A song about the city of San Antonio
Where in dreams I live with a memory
In my dreams, I recall a memory
Beneath the stars all alone
I feel alone under the night sky
It was there I found beside the Alamo
I discovered something magical next to the Alamo
Enchantment strange as the blue up above
The magic was as strange and captivating as the blue sky
A moonlit pass that only she would know
A path illuminated by the moon that only she was aware of
Still hears my broken song of love
My song of love still echoes in that place
Moon in all your splendor know only my heart
The moon only sees what is in my heart
Call back my rose, rose of San Antone
I am asking for my lover, the rose of San Antonio to come back to me
Lips so sweet and tender like petals falling apart
My lover's lips were sweet and delicate, like falling petals
Speak once again of my love, my own.
I long to hear my lover speak about our love once more
Broken song, empty words I know
I am aware that my song feels broken and my words are empty
Still live in my heart all alone
However, they still exist within my heart, even in my solitude
For that moonlit pass by the Alamo
I still long for that moonlit path next to the Alamo
And Rose, my Rose of San Antone
And most of all, for my beloved Rose of San Antonio
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Wills
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind