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| The '''Confederate government of Kentucky''' was a ] established for the ] of ] by a self-constituted group of Southern sympathizers during the ]. The shadow government never replaced the elected government in ], which had strong Union sympathies. Neither did it gain the support of Kentucky's citizens; its jurisdiction extended only as far as Confederate battle lines in the Commonwealth. Nevertheless, the provisional government was recognized by the ], and Kentucky was admitted to the Confederacy on ], ]. Kentucky was represented by a star on the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ngeorgia.com/history/flagsofga.html |title=A Concise History of the Flags of the Confederate States of America and the Sovereign State of Georgia |accessdate=2006-11-29 |last=Irby, Jr. |first=Richard E. |work=About North Georgia |publisher=Golden Ink}}</ref>. | |||
| It's strange to think the songs we used to sing | |||
| ] was designated the Confederate capital of Kentucky, but due to the military situation in the state, the provisional government was exiled and traveled with the ] for most of its existence. For a short time in the autumn of 1862, the ] controlled Frankfort, the only time a Union capital was captured by Confederate forces. During this occupation, General ] attempted to install the provisional government as the permanent authority in the Commonwealth. However, Union General ] ambushed the inauguration ceremony and drove the provisional government from the state for the final time. From that point forward, the government existed primarily on paper, and was dissolved at the end of the war. | |||
| the smiles, the flowers, everything...is gone | |||
| yesterday i found about you | |||
| even now just looking at you...feels wrong | |||
| you say that you'd take it all back, given one chance | |||
| it was a moment of weakness and you said yes... | |||
| CHORUS | |||
| The provisional government elected two governors. ] was elected at the Russellville Convention and served until his death at the ]. ] was elected to replace Johnson, and served through the remainder of the war. | |||
| you should've said no, you should've gone home | |||
| you should've thought twice before you let it all go | |||
| you shouldn've known that word, bout what you did with her woulds get back to me... | |||
| and i should've been there, in the back of your mind | |||
| i shouldn't be asking myself why | |||
| you shouldn't be begging for forgiveness at my feet... | |||
| you should've said no, baby and you might still have me | |||
| you can see that i've been crying | |||
| ==Background== | |||
| and baby you know all the right things...to say | |||
| Kentucky's citizens were split regarding the issues central to the Civil War. The state had strong economic ties with ] cities such as ] and ] while at the same time sharing many cultural, social, and economic links with the South. Unionist traditions were strong throughout the Commonwealth's history, and with economic ties to both the North and the South, Kentucky had little to gain and much to lose from a war between the states. Additionally, many slaveholders felt that the best protection for ] was within the Union. The presidential election of 1860 reflected Kentucky’s mixed heritage when the state gave ] 45% of the popular vote, ] 36%, ] 18%, and ] less than 1%. Historian Allan Nevins interpreted the election results to mean that Kentuckians strongly opposed both secession and coercion against the secessionists. The majority coalition of Bell and Douglas supporters was seen as a solid moderate Unionist position that opposed precipitate action by extremists on either side.<ref name=nevins>Nevins, pp. 129–130</ref> | |||
| but do you honestly except me to believe | |||
| we could ever be the same... | |||
| you say that the past is the past, you need one chance | |||
| it was a moment of weakness and you said yes... | |||
| REPEAT CHORUS | |||
| ] | |||
| The majority of Kentucky's citizens felt it was their role to be a mediator between the North and South. On ], ], ] ] sent a letter to the other slave state governors suggesting that they come to an agreement with the North that would include strict enforcement of the ], a division of common territories at the 37th parallel, a guarantee of free use of the Mississippi River, and a Southern ] over slave legislation. Magoffin proposed a conference of slave states, followed by a conference of all the states to secure these concessions. Due to the escalating pace of events, neither conference was ever held.<ref name=cwky67>Harrison in ''The Civil War in Kentucky'', pp. 6–7</ref> | |||
| i can't resist...before you go, tell me this | |||
| Governor Magoffin called a special session of the ] on ], ], asking the legislators to call a convention of Kentuckians to decide the Commonwealth's course in the sectional conflict.<ref name=cwky7>Harrison in ''The Civil War in Kentucky'', p. 7</ref> The ''Louisville Morning Courier'' on ] articulated the position that the secessionists faced in the legislature, "Too much time has already been wasted. The historic moment once past, never returns. For us and for Kentucky, the time to act is NOW OR NEVER."<ref>Shortridge, p. 290</ref> The Unionists, on the other hand, were unwilling to surrender the fate of the state to a convention that might "in a moment of excitement, adopt the extreme remedy of secession."<ref>Heck, p. 333</ref> The Unionist position carried when many of the states rights legislators, opposing the idea of immediate secession, voted against the convention.<ref>Shortridge, pp. 290–291</ref> The assembly did, however, send six delegates to a ] ] in ], and asked ] to call a national convention to consider potential resolutions to the secession crisis, including the ], authored by Kentuckian ].<ref name=cwky8>Harrison in ''The Civil War in Kentucky'', p. 8</ref> | |||
| was it worth it... | |||
| was she worth this... | |||
| no...no no no... | |||
| As a result of the firing on ], President Lincoln sent a ] to Governor Magoffin requesting that the Commonwealth supply four regiments as its share of the overall request of 75,000 troops for the war.<ref name=harrison>Harrison in ''Kentucky Governors'', pp. 82–84</ref> Magoffin, a Southern sympathizer, replied "President Lincoln, ] I will send not a man nor a dollar for the wicked purpose of subduing my sister ]. B. Magoffin"<ref name=powell52>Powell, p. 52</ref> Both houses of the General Assembly met on ] and passed ] in the war, a position officially declared by Governor Magoffin on ], ].<ref name=cwky9>Harrison in ''The Civil War in Kentucky'', p. 9</ref> | |||
| REPEAT CHORUS | |||
| In a special congressional election held ], ], Unionist candidates won nine of Kentucky's ten congressional seats.<ref name=rose>Rose, pp. 63–65</ref> Confederate sympathizers won only the ] region,<ref name=rose /> which was economically linked to Tennessee by the ] and ]s.<ref name=kleber193>Kleber, p. 193</ref> Believing defeat at the polls was certain, many Southern Rightists had ]; of the 125,000 votes cast, Unionists captured close to 90,000.<ref name=cwky11>Harrison in ''The Civil War in Kentucky'', p. 11</ref> Southern sympathizers were dealt a further blow in the ] election for state legislators. This election resulted in ]-proof Unionist majorities of 76–24 in the ] and 27–11 in the ].<ref name=rose /> From that time forward, most of Magoffin's vetoes to protect southern interests were overridden in the General Assembly.<ref name=rose /> | |||
| Historian Wilson Porter Shortridge made the following analysis of the election results: | |||
| {{cquote|These elections demonstrated that a majority of the people of Kentucky were opposed to secession, but they could not be interpreted as an approval of the war policy of the Lincoln administration, as was quite generally done at the north at that time. Perhaps the best explanation at that time was that the people of Kentucky desired peace and thought that the election of the union candidates was the best way to get it.<ref>Shortridge, p. 297</ref>}} | |||
| With actual secession no longer considered to be a viable option, the pro-Confederate forces became the strongest supporters for neutrality, although Unionists simply dismissed this as a front for their true secessionist agenda. Unionists, on the other hand, struggled to find a way to move the large, moderate middle to a “definite and unqualified stand with the Washington government.” The maneuvering between the two finally reached a decisive point on ] when Confederate forces were ordered from Tennessee to the Kentucky towns of ] and ], and Union forces responded by occupying ].<ref>Shortridge, pp. 298–300</ref> | |||
| On ] the legislature passed a resolution instructing Magoffin to order the Confederate forces (but not the Union forces) to leave the state. The Governor vetoed the resolution, but the General Assembly overrode his veto, and Magoffin gave the order. The next week, the assembly officially requested the assistance of the Union and asked the governor to call out the state militia to join the Federal forces. Magoffin also vetoed this request, and again the assembly overrode the veto, and Magoffin acquiesced.<ref>Shortridge, p. 300</ref> | |||
| ==Formation== | |||
| A pro-Confederate peace meeting, with Breckinridge scheduled as a speaker, was scheduled for ]. Unionists feared the meeting would lead to actual military resistance, and dispatched troops from ] to disband the meeting and arrest Breckinridge.<ref>Heck, p. 343</ref> Breckinridge, as well as many other state leaders identified with the secessionists, fled the state. These leaders eventually served as the nucleus for a group that would create a shadow government for Kentucky. In his ], ], "Address to the People of Kentucky," Breckinridge declared, "The ] no longer exists. The Union is dissolved."<ref>Brown, p. 80</ref> | |||
| On ], ], 63 delegates representing 34 ] met at ] to discuss the formation of a Confederate government for the Commonwealth.<ref name=brown83>Brown, p. 83</ref> Despite recent defeats at the polls, this group had deluded themselves into believing that the Unionist government in Frankfort did not represent the will of the majority of Kentucky's citizens.<ref name=harrison /> ]'s ] was elected chairman of the proceedings.<ref name=brown83 /> ] farmer George W. Johnson chaired the committee that authored the convention's final report, and introduced some of its key resolutions.<ref name=harrison /> The report called for a sovereignty convention to sever ties with the Federal government.<ref name=harrison /> Both Breckinridge and Johnson served on the Committee of Ten that made arrangements for the convention.<ref name=brown83 /> | |||
| ] | |||
| On ], ], 116 delegates from 68 counties met at the Clark House in Russellville.<ref name=kye-gov>Kleber, p. 222</ref> Burnett was again elected presiding officer, and fearing for the safety of the delegates, initially proposed postponing the proceedings until ], ].<ref name=register13>Harrison in ''Register'', p. 13</ref> Johnson convinced the majority of the delegates to continue, working behind closed doors,<ref name=register13 /> but by the third day, the military situation was so tenuous that the entire convention had to be moved to a tower on the campus of ], a now-defunct institution in Russellville.<ref name=kye-gov /> | |||
| {| align=right class=wikitable style="margin:0 0 0.5em 1em;" | |||
| |+Officials of the Confederate government of Kentucky<ref name=powell116>Powell, p. 114</ref> | |||
| !Position | |||
| !Officeholder | |||
| |- | |||
| |Governor | |||
| |George W. Johnson | |||
| |- | |||
| |Lieutenant Governor | |||
| |Horatio F. Simrall | |||
| |- | |||
| |Secretary of State | |||
| |Robert McKee | |||
| |- | |||
| |Treasurer | |||
| |Theodore Legrand Burnett | |||
| |- | |||
| |Auditor | |||
| |Josiah Pillsbury | |||
| |} | |||
| The first item of business was the ratification of an ], which proceeded in short order.<ref name=register13 /> Next, being unable to flesh out a complete constitution and system of laws, the delegates voted that "the ] and laws of Kentucky, not inconsistent with the acts of this Convention, and the establishment of this Government, and the laws which may be enacted by the Governor and Council, shall be the laws of this state."<ref name=register14>Harrison in ''Register'', p. 14</ref> The provisional government proposed by the delegates consisted of a legislative council of ten members (one from each Kentucky congressional district), a governor, who had the power to appoint judicial and other officials, a treasurer and an auditor.<ref name=brown84>Brown, p. 84</ref> The delegates designated Bowling Green (then under the control of Confederate general ]) as the Confederate State capital, but had the foresight to provide that the government could meet anywhere deemed appropriate by the council and governor.<ref name=register14 /> The convention adopted a new ], an arm wearing ] with a star, extended from a circle of twelve other stars.<ref name=kye-gov /> | |||
| The convention unanimously elected Johnson as governor.<ref name=kye-gov /> There is also some indication that ] was elected ], but soon fled to ] to escape Federal authorities.<ref name=powell116>Powell, p. 116</ref> Robert McKee, who had served as secretary of both conventions, was appointed secretary of state.<ref name=brown85>Brown, p. 85</ref> ] was elected treasurer, but resigned on ] to accept a position in the ].<ref name=brown85 /> He was replaced by ] native John Quincy Burnham.<ref name=brown85 /> The position of auditor was first offered to former Congressman ], but Hawes declined in order to continue his military service under ].<ref name=kye-hawes>Kleber, pp. 418–419</ref> In his stead, the convention elected Josiah Pillsbury, also of Warren County.<ref name=brown85 /> The legislative council elected ] as its president.<ref name=brown85 /> | |||
| On ], the day following the convention, Johnson wrote Confederate president ] to request Kentucky's admission to the Confederacy.<ref name=rose /> Burnett, ], and ] were chosen as the state's commissioners to the Confederacy.<ref name=register15>Harrison in ''Register'', p. 15</ref> For reasons unexplained by the delegates, Dr. ], a native Kentuckian living in ], was invited to accompany the commissioners to ].<ref name=brown85 /> Though Davis had some reservation about the circumvention of the elected ] in forming the Confederate government, he concluded that Johnson's request had merit, and on ], recommended Kentucky for admission to the Confederacy.<ref name=brown87>Brown, p. 87</ref> Kentucky was admitted to the Confederacy on ], ].<ref name=harrison /> | |||
| ==Activity== | |||
| On ], ], Governor Johnson issued an address to the citizens of the Commonwealth blaming ]s for the breakup of the ].<ref name=rose /> He asserted his belief that the Union and Confederacy were forces of equal strength, and that the only solution to the war was a free trade agreement between the two sovereign nations.<ref name=rose /> He further announced his willingness to resign as provisional governor if the Kentucky General Assembly would agree to cooperate with Governor Magoffin.<ref name=rose /> Magoffin himself denounced the Russellville Convention and the provisional government, stressing the need to abide by the will of the majority of the Commonwealth's citizens.<ref name=register16>Harrison in ''Register'', p. 16</ref> | |||
| ], the first Confederate governor of Kentucky]] | |||
| During the winter of 1861, Johnson tried to assert the legitimacy of the fledgling government but its jurisdiction extended only as far as the area controlled by the Confederate Army.<ref name=rose /> Johnson came short of raising the 46,000 troops requested by the Confederate Congress.<ref name=rose /> Efforts to levy taxes and to compel citizens to turn over their guns to the government were similarly unsuccessful.<ref name=rose /> On ], ], Johnson requested a sum of $3 million from the Confederate Congress to meet the provisional government's operating expenses.<ref name=register20>Harrison in ''Register'', p. 20</ref> The Congress instead approved a sum of $2 million, the expenditure of which required approval of Secretary of War ] and President Davis.<ref name=register20 /> Much of the provisional government's operating capital was probably provided by Kentucky congressman ], who made a fortune from varied economic activities throughout the war.<ref name=register20 /> | |||
| The council met on ] to appoint representatives to the Confederacy's ] provisional congress.<ref name=brown88>Brown, p. 88</ref> Those appointed would serve for only two months, as the provisional congress was replaced with a permanent ] legislature on ], ].<ref name=brown88 /> Kentucky was entitled to two senators and 12 representatives in the permanent Confederate Congress.<ref name=register22>Harrison in ''Register'', p. 22</ref> The usual day for general elections being passed, Governor Johnson and the legislative council set election day for Confederate Kentucky on ], ].<ref name=register22 /> Voters were allowed to vote in whichever county they occupied on election day, and could cast a general ballot for all positions.<ref name=register22 /> In an election that saw military votes outnumber civilian ones, only four of the provisional legislators were elected to seats in the Confederate House of Representatives.<ref name=register22 /> One provisional legislator, Henry Burnett, was elected to the Confederate Senate.<ref name=register22 /> | |||
| The provisional government took other minor actions during the winter of 1861. An act was passed to rename ] to Zollicoffer County in honor of ], who died at the ].<ref name=brown89>Brown, p. 89</ref> Local officials were appointed in areas controlled by Confederate forces, including many ].<ref name=rose /> When the Confederate government eventually disbanded, the legality of marriages performed by these justices was questioned, but eventually upheld.<ref name=rose /> | |||
| ===Withdrawal from Kentucky and death of Governor Johnson=== | |||
| Following ]'s victory at the ], General Johnston withdrew from Bowling Green into ] on ], ]. A week later, Governor Johnson and the provisional government followed. On ], the '']'' reported that "the capital of Kentucky now being located in a Sibley tent."<ref name=rose /> | |||
| Governor Johnson, despite his age (50) and a crippled arm,<ref name=kye-johnson>Kleber, p. 473</ref> volunteered to serve under General ] and Colonel Robert P. Trabue at the ].<ref name=harrison /> On ], ], Johnson was severely wounded in the thigh and abdomen, and lay on the battlefield until the following day.<ref name=harrison /> Johnson was recognized by acquaintance and fellow ], ], a Union general.<ref name=harrison /> Johnson died aboard the Union hospital ship ''Hannibal'',<ref name=rose /> and the provisional government of Kentucky was left leaderless. | |||
| ===Richard Hawes as governor=== | |||
| ], the second Confederate governor of Kentucky]] | |||
| Prior to abandoning Bowling Green, Governor Johnson requested that Richard Hawes come to the city and help with the administration of the government, but Hawes was delayed due to a bout with ].<ref name=rose-hawes>Rose, pp. 90–91</ref> Following Johnson's death, the provisional government elected Hawes, who was still recovering from his illness, as governor.<ref name=harrison-hawes>Harrison in ''Kentucky Governors'', pp. 85–88</ref> Following his recovery, Hawes joined the government in ], and took the oath of office on ].<ref name=brown93>Brown, p. 93</ref> | |||
| During the summer of 1862, word began to spread through the Army of Tennessee that Generals Bragg and ] were planning an invasion of Kentucky.<ref name=brown93 /> The legislative council voted to endorse the invasion plan, and on ], Governor Hawes was dispatched to Richmond to favorably recommend it to President Davis.<ref name=harrison /> Davis was non-committal, but Bragg and Smith proceeded, nonetheless.<ref name=harrison-hawes /> | |||
| On ], Smith commanded one of the most complete Confederate victories of the war against an inexperienced Union force at the ].<ref name=kleber-bor>Kleber, pp. 772–773</ref> Bragg also won a decisive victory at the ] ], but the delay there cost him the larger prize of ], which Don Carlos Buell moved to occupy on ].<ref name=cwky46>Harrison in ''The Civil War in Kentucky'', p. 46</ref> Having lost Louisville, Bragg spread his troops into defensive postures in the central Kentucky cities of ], ], and ] and waited for something to happen, a move that historian Kenneth Noe called a "stupendously illogical decision."<ref name=cwky48>Harrison in ''The Civil War in Kentucky'', p. 48</ref><ref name=noe>Noe, p. 124</ref> | |||
| Meanwhile, the leaders of Kentucky's Confederate government had remained in ], awaiting Governor Hawes' return.<ref name=harrison-hawes /> They finally departed on ],<ref name=harrison-hawes /> and caught up with Bragg and Smith in ] on ].<ref name=rose-hawes>Rose, pp. 90&ndash91</ref> Bragg had been disappointed with the number of soldiers volunteering for Confederate service in Kentucky; wagon loads of weapons that had been shipped to the Commonwealth to arm the expected enlistees remained unissued.<ref name=cwky47>Harrison in ''The Civil War in Kentucky'', p. 47</ref><ref name=ea407>''Encyclopedia Americana'', p. 407</ref> Desiring to enforce the Confederate Conscription Act to boost recruitment, Bragg decided to install the provisional government in the recently-captured state capital of ].<ref name=rose-hawes /> On ], ], Hawes was inaugurated as governor by the Confederate legislative council.<ref name=powell115 /> In the celebratory atmosphere of the inauguration ceremony, however, the Confederate forces let their guard down, and were ambushed and forced to retreat by Buell's artillery.<ref name=powell115>Powell, p. 115</ref><ref name=ea407 /><ref name=ea707>''Encyclopedia Americana, p. 707</ref> | |||
| ==Decline and dissolution== | |||
| Following the drawn ], the provisional government left Kentucky for the final time.<ref name=harrison-hawes /> Displaced from their home state, members of the legislative council dispersed to places where they could make a living or be supported by relatives until Governor Hawes called them into session.<ref name=brown96>Brown, p. 96</ref> Scant records show that on ], ], Hawes summoned the council, auditor, and treasurer to his location at ] for a meeting on ], ].<ref name=brown96 /> Hawes himself unsuccessfully lobbied President Davis to remove Hawes' former superior, Humphrey Marshall, from command.<ref>Brown, pp. 96–97</ref> On ], Hawes told Davis by letter that "our cause is steadily on the increase" and assured him that another foray into the Commonwealth would produce better results than the first had.<ref name=brown97>Brown, p. 97</ref> | |||
| The government's financial woes also continued. Hawes was embarrassed to admit that neither he nor anyone else seemed to know what became of approximately $45,000 that had been sent from ] to ] during the Confederate occupation of Kentucky.<ref name=brown97 /> Another major blow was Davis' 1864 decision not to allow Hawes to spend $1 million that had been secretly appropriated in August of 1861 to help Kentucky maintain its neutrality.<ref name=harrison-hawes /> Davis reasoned that the money could not be spent for its intended purpose, since Kentucky had already been admitted to the Confederacy.<ref name=harrison-hawes /> | |||
| Late in the war, the provisional government existed mostly on paper. However, in the summer of 1864, Colonel R. A. Alston of the Ninth Tennessee Cavalry requested Governor Hawes' assistance in investigating crimes allegedly committed by Brigadier General ] during his latest raid into Kentucky. Hawes never had to act on the request, however, as Morgan was suspended from command on ] and killed by Union troops on ], ].<ref name=rose-hawes /> | |||
| There is no documentation detailing exactly when Kentucky's provisional government ceased operation. It is assumed to have dissolved upon the conclusion of the Civil War.<ref name=rose-hawes /> | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| ==References== | |||
| *{{cite book |title=The Civil War in Kentucky: Battle for the Bluegrass |editor=Kent Masterson Brown |publisher=Savas Publishing Company |location=] |year=2000 |isbn=1882810473}} | |||
| *{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia = Encyclopedia Americana |edition = 1969 Edition |publisher = Americana Corporation |volume = Vol. 4 |doi = |isbn = 0717201007}} | |||
| *{{cite book |title=''Kentucky's Governors'' |editor=Lowell H. Harrison |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |location=] |year=2004 |isbn=0813123267}} | |||
| *{{cite book |last=Harrison |first=Lowell H. |authorlink=Lowell H. Harrison |title=The Civil War in Kentucky |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |location=] |year=1975 |isbn=081310209X |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=TrpoH5NAH0QC}} | |||
| *{{cite journal |last=Harrison |first=Lowell Hayes |authorlink=Lowell H. Harrison |title=George W. Johnson and Richard Hawes: The Governors of Confederate Kentucky |journal=The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society |month=Winter |year=1981 |volume=79 |issue=1 |pages=pp. 3–39}} | |||
| *{{cite journal |last=Heck |first=Frank H. |title=John C. Breckinridge in the Crisis of 1860-1861 |journal=The Journal of Southern History |volume=21 |issue=3 |month=August |year=1955}} | |||
| *{{cite book |editor=Kleber, John E. |others=Associate editors: ], ], and James C. Klotter |title=''The Kentucky Encyclopedia'' |year=1992 |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |location=Lexington, Kentucky |isbn=0813117720}} | |||
| *{{cite book |last=Nevins |first=Allen |title=The War for the Union: The Improvised War 1861-1862 |publisher=Charles Scribner’s Sons |year=1959 |isbn=684104261}} | |||
| *{{cite book |last=Noe |first=Kenneth W. |title=Perryville: This Grand Havoc of Battle |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |location=Lexington, Kentucky |year=2001 |isbn=978-0813122090}} | |||
| *{{cite book |last=Powell |first=Robert A. |title=''Kentucky Governors'' |publisher=Kentucky Images |location=] |year=1976 |id={{OCLC|2690774}}}} | |||
| *{{cite book |title=Kentucky's Civil War 1861 – 1865 |editor=Jerlene Rose |publisher=Back Home in Kentucky, Inc. |location=] |year=2005 |isbn=0976923122}} | |||
| *{{cite journal |last=Shortridge |first=William Porter |title=Kentucky Neutrality in 1861 |journal=The Mississippi Valley Historical Review |volume=9 |issue=4 |month=March |year=1923}} | |||
| ==Footnotes== | |||
| {{Reflist|3}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{Spoken Misplaced Pages|Confederate_government_of_Kentucky.ogg|2008-05-31}} | |||
| * | |||
| * '''' James Copeland, Walters State Community College | |||
| {{Kentucky in the Civil War}} | |||
| {{featured article}} | |||
| ] | |||
Revision as of 02:29, 3 June 2008
It's strange to think the songs we used to sing the smiles, the flowers, everything...is gone yesterday i found about you even now just looking at you...feels wrong you say that you'd take it all back, given one chance it was a moment of weakness and you said yes...
CHORUS you should've said no, you should've gone home you should've thought twice before you let it all go you shouldn've known that word, bout what you did with her woulds get back to me... and i should've been there, in the back of your mind i shouldn't be asking myself why you shouldn't be begging for forgiveness at my feet... you should've said no, baby and you might still have me
you can see that i've been crying and baby you know all the right things...to say but do you honestly except me to believe we could ever be the same... you say that the past is the past, you need one chance it was a moment of weakness and you said yes...
REPEAT CHORUS
i can't resist...before you go, tell me this was it worth it... was she worth this...
no...no no no...
REPEAT CHORUS