They call me The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day

From the first day I saw her I knew she was the one
She stared in my eyes and smiled
For her lips were the colour of the roses
That grew down the river, all bloody and wild

When he knocked on my door and entered the room
My trembling subsided in his sure embrace
He would be my first man, and with a careful hand
He wiped at the tears that ran down my face

They call me The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me that I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day

On the second day I brought her a flower
She was more beautiful than any woman I'd seen
I said, "Do you know where the wild roses grow
So sweet and scarlet and free?"

On the second day he came with a single red rose
He said "Will you give me your loss and your sorrow"
I nodded my head, as I lay on the bed
"If I show you the roses, will you follow?"

They call me The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me that I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day

On the third day he took me to the river
He showed me the roses and we kissed
And the last thing I heard was a muttered word
As he knelt above me with a rock in his fist

On the last day I took her where the wild roses grow
And she lay on the bank, the wind light as a thief
And I kissed her goodbye, said, "All beauty must die"
And I lent down and planted a rose 'tween her teeth

They call me The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me that I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day
My name was Elisa Day
For my name was Elisa Day


Lyrics submitted by typo, edited by Mellow_Harsher

Where the Wild Roses Grow Lyrics as written by Nicholas Cave

Lyrics © PREMIERE MUSIC GROUP, BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Where the Wild Roses Grow (feat. Kylie Minogue) song meanings
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  • +2
    General Comment

    I get a ominous feel about this song. The music and the way it's performed is just so beautiful but the lyrics are absolutely terrifying. Is there anyone who knows if there's a tale, myth or true story behind the lyrics. Also I think the "the wind light as a thief " is a reference to him beeing about to steel her life. I really like that the ending is kind of given away already in the second line: "... was Elisa Day"

    indoles77on October 14, 2005   Link

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