Roses In The Hospital

Manic Street Preachers

Roses in the hospital,
Try to pull my fingernails out,
Roses in the hospital,
I want to cling to something soft,
Roses in the hospital,
Progressing like a constant war,
Roses in the hospital,
There's no one to feel ashamed for,

All we wanted was a home,
Now we are so strung out we wanna own,
Like a leaf in the autumn breeze,
Like a flood in January,
We don't want your fucking love,

Roses in the hospital,
Stub cigarettes out on my arm,
Roses in the hospital,
Want to feel something of value,
Roses in the hospital,
Nothing really makes me happy,
Roses in the hospital,
Heroin is just too trendy,

All we wanted was a home,
Now we are so strung out we wanna own,
Like a leaf in the autumn breeze,
Like a flood in January,
We don't want your fucking love,

Roses in the hospital,
This century achieved so much,
Roses in the hospital,
To make a voice no voice at all,
Roses in the hospital,
Flowers cannot express the loss,
Roses in the hospital,
Torn reflections of burnt out trash,
Of burnt out trash,

Forever ever delayed,
Forever ever delayed,
Forever,
Forever,

Forever ever delayed,
Indepencence is a game,
Forever ever delayed,
Credibility, I'm yawning,
Forever,
Forever,
(Rudi Rudi Rudi Rudi Rudi Rudi Rudi Rudi gonna fail)

Forever ever delayed,
Forever delayed,
Forever,
Forever,

Forever delayed,
The west scratches onto my skin,
Forever delayed,
Contagious like a sun tan,
We never felt any sun, any sun,
Rudi Rudi Rudi gonna fail,


Lyrics submitted by ShiverForMe

Roses in the Hospital Lyrics as written by Nicholas Jones James Bradfield

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Roses In The Hospital song meanings
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28 Comments

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  • +1
    General CommentNot sure if johnno's right about this linking in with this is yesterday, as nicky wrote that.
    tgdon December 11, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General CommentPS: does anyone have the actual cd with the lyric sheet?
    I've read 'Rudie Can't Fail' and 'Rudie Gonna Fail' as a lyrics on different websites and I would like to know which one is sung here.

    I know Rudie Can't Fail is a song by the Clash, but I though maybe they were responding to it by saying rudie gonna fail.

    Does anyone know?
    DiExmY_dArLinGxxon July 30, 2009   Link
  • +1
    My OpinionI find it kinda hard to believe Nicky wrote the lyrics... they kinda sound a bit more 'personal' to Richey in a sense considering HE was the depressed one, etc.

    Then again, considering they were best friends and all, if you're surrounded by someone enough, you can pick up easily how they're feeling (if you're aware of it), so it probably wasn't hard for Nicky to write a song like this and put it somehow in Richey's POV.

    Like someone said before, the most attention people usually get in their life time (providing they're not the center of attention already) is when they're screwed up. No one probably would have given two shits about Richey and the fact that he was in the Manics unless he did what he did. The moment he came out more and more about his depression and self-harm, people (mostly teenagers) followed because they had someone to relate to.

    But I think just about anyone can connect with this song, especially if you feel the same amount of alienation and depression as Richey.
    xpwoppaon August 22, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General CommentRichey did write it, not Nicky. Where did that idea come from?
    manic4manicson October 23, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment"It's just about the idea of something beautiful in a decaying place. It's about people who hurt themselves in order to concentrate, or just to feel something."
    (Richey James)
    manic4manicson October 23, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General CommentAs I recall Richey was briefly hospitalised by either his management team or record label. I'm sure I remember reading, or perhaps it was in one of the interviews Richey gave on his own to an interviewer in Japan, that while he was in hospital his manager or the label sent him some roses. He said the words Roses in the hospital were a metaphor for how some people treat others suffering depression or other mental illness. They send flowers as a token, symbolic gesture because they can't handle dealing with someone's unhappiness or depression, it makes them uneasy. I believe Richey said that the Roses just made him feel more isolated, made him feel useless and a burden to the band. He also said that he watched day by day as the roses decayed and wilted; he felt that was symbolic of how he felt in the hospital, cut from life, like a rose from a bush, and put in an artificial support system in a psyche ward, like the roses in a vase of water. Like the roses decaying and dying he felt the hospital was draining him and adding to his decay. He wanted to make the point that people are generally in hospital because they are unwell and metaphorically or even literally wasting away and decaying and that it's ironic that people think that it might cheer a patient up to have a beautiful flower severed from its natural life support system and placed in a vase so they can watch it slowly die. He also wanted to make the point that people often can't deal with a person being ill so they send flowers. The rose become a decaying symbol of our human frailty, fear and existential isolation.
    1112859193on May 23, 2016   Link
  • 0
    General Commentthis is one of my favourtie manics songs. It seems like one of those songs were the manics said "sod this, who cares what people think?"
    Forever Delayed, over and over at the end, is brilliant, its like the end is delayed and could go on forever.
    forever delayedon March 23, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Commenti think this is the beginnings of Richeys depression culminating in this is yesterday. About alienation, looking for something to cling to but nothing is there
    Johnnoon April 28, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Commentyeah Johnno, you got it. I think part of it is also about people feigning care and concern, but he's having doubts about their sincerity. Roses in the hospital, but not feeling the warmth.
    Vanadison May 23, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Commentthis song is fuckin' brilliant. the ending really ties it all up in a great package.
    madchesteron October 19, 2004   Link

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