ROSE TATTOO
Lyrics & music: Mary James
The suns gonna rise and in my cold green eyes is the hell I’ve been through
What I learned tonight is that this world ain’t right and the devil’s got a rose tattoo
Eight fifty one we arrived at the club I was wearing my last good dress
My man had bet everything he could get and I was trying to get us out of the mess
At Nine O’clock I made my walk like a tigress to the stage
And the people would stand like I was worth ten grand and not singing for minimum wage
Ten minutes in they were passing the gin and the club became a roar
My man was having a ball but all I recall is his face when he looked toward the door
I was going to town when a hush came down, and the dance floor became a tomb
A woman stepped in, she was small and slim but her presence filled the whole darn room
My man went pale like a torn up sail as the woman walked right past me
Her dress was gray like a stormy day and it flowed like a restless sea
I went flat on a note I was watching her throat she wore a necklace of pure jade
Her sleeve hung down off one side of her gown to show a rose down her shoulder blade
I lost sight of her and the rest was a blur as I sang and paced the stage
It was eleven o one when I was finally done and I sprung like a cat from a cage
He was gone from there so I searched everywhere till I found a girl I knew
She said he left your show about an hour ago with a woman with a rose tattoo
I walked the street till I was dead on my feet and I hit every joint I knew
I heard a man say I saw that woman in gray I think her name is Penny LaRue
Where she’s been and what’s her sin, no one in New Orleans knows
All they can tell is she’s an angel from hell with a tattoo of a Rose
I said a prayer and let down my hair I was now in the bad part of town
It was 3am I followed some men to a club called the Underground
I stepped inside and I could feel the vibe there was danger in the room
And a whole lotta sin, sweat and skin smelling of cheap perfume
Through the lusty display was a woman in gray smiling like she knew
When she turned around where her dress hung down was a shoulder with a rose tattoo
I saw the love, she’d deprived me of, he was standing in the restless throng
When suddenly, he noticed me but something just felt all wrong
I heard a shout, a knife came out, my man got in the way
He was dead as a door before he hit the floor while the band continued to play
I tried to scream but like a horrible dream there was nothing I could do
Time died, a siren cried, I saw a flash of a rose tattoo
I’m on the curb with a cop named Herb who’s trying to sort out this mess
It’s five twenty five I feel barely alive and I’m wearing my last good dress
The sun’s gonna rise and in my cold green eyes is the hell I’ve been through
What I learned tonight is that this world ain’t right and the devil’s got a rose tattoo
©2010 Music’s Child Publishing