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Where the Wild Roses Grow
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning | Line by Line Meaning

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

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of this song, "Where The Wild Roses Grow" by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, tell the story of a man who is infatuated with a woman named Elisa Day, who he sees as a wild rose. The protagonist seems to be obsessed with her, even though the woman is unaware of why she is called "The Wild Rose." The juxtaposition of the beautiful wild roses and the bloody river they grow by adds a disturbing element to the lyrics.


The second verse of the song shows that the protagonist is trying to woo Elisa by bringing her a flower. He tries to find wild roses to impress her and convince her to follow him to his dark desires. The third verse of the song implies that the protagonist wants to show Elisa his wild roses and is willing to share everything with her, including his losses and sorrows.


The song takes a dark turn when the protagonist brings Elisa to the river and kills her by hitting her with a rock. The lyrics suggest that he plants a rose in her mouth as a symbol of her beauty, which must die. The sad and haunting lyrics are made even more powerful by the beautiful melody and vocals by Nick Cave and guest vocalist Kylie Minogue.


Line by Line Meaning

They call me The Wild Rose
I am known by this nickname


But my name was Elisa Day
Although my real name is Elisa Day


Why they call me it I do not know
I am uncertain about the reason behind my nickname


For my name was Elisa Day
My real name is Elisa Day


From the first day I saw her I knew she was the one
I knew immediately that she was the one for me


She stared in my eyes and smiled
She looked into my eyes and smiled


For her lips were the colour of the roses
Her lips were the same color as the roses


That grew down the river, all bloody and wild
The roses that grew by the river were vibrant and untamed


When he knocked on my door and entered the room
When he came to my door and walked into the room


My trembling subsided in his sure embrace
His embrace made me feel safe and calm


He would be my first man, and with a careful hand
He would be the first man I had been with, and he was gentle


He wiped at the tears that ran down my face
He wiped away my tears with tenderness


On the second day I brought her a flower
I brought her a flower on the second day


She was more beautiful than any woman I'd seen
She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen


I said, "Do you know where the wild roses grow
I asked her if she knew where the wild roses grew


So sweet and scarlet and free?"
The roses were fragrant, red, and untamed


On the second day he came with a single red rose
He came with a single red rose on the second day


He said "Will you give me your loss and your sorrow"
He asked if I would share my pain and sadness with him


I nodded my head, as I lay on the bed
I agreed as I lay in bed


"If I show you the roses, will you follow?"
He asked me if I would follow him to see the roses


On the third day he took me to the river
He took me to the river on the third day


He showed me the roses and we kissed
We kissed as he showed me the roses


And the last thing I heard was a muttered word
The last thing I heard was a mumbled word


As he knelt above me with a rock in his fist
He knelt above me with a rock in his hand


On the last day I took her where the wild roses grow
I took her to see the wild roses on the last day


And she lay on the bank, the wind light as a thief
She lay on the bank with the gentle wind


And I kissed her goodbye, said, "All beauty must die"
I kissed her goodbye and said that all beauty fades


And I lent down and planted a rose 'tween her teeth
I placed a rose between her teeth by leaning down


My name was Elisa Day
My real name is Elisa Day




Lyrics © PREMIERE MUSIC GROUP, BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Nicholas Cave

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

Апельсинка

Наверняка, многие помнят клип с Ником Кейвом и Кайли Миноуг на песню Where the Wild Roses Grow (Там, где дикие розы растут)., но мало, кто знает, что в песне отражена настоящая, жуткая легенда.

ЭЛИЗА ДЭЙ

Жила когда-то молодая женщина по имени Элиза Дэй, чья красота была схожа с красотой диких, кроваво-красных роз, которые росли неподалёку у реки.

Однажды в её городе появился молодой человек и сразу же влюбился в Элизу. У них было три свидания.

В первый день он пришёл к ней домой.

Во второй день он принёс ей одну красную розу и попросил встретиться с ним в том месте, где растут дикие розы.

На третий день они пошли к реке, где молодой человек убил её. В руке он спрятал камень, и когда она повернулась к нему спиной, молодой человек прошептал: “Красота должна умереть!” и ударил её по голове. Она умерла на месте.

Он вложил ей в рот розу и опустил её тело в реку, наблюдая, как оно погружается в хрустальную воду.

Её тело так и не нашли.

Прошло много лет, и люди забыли имя девушки, и стали называть её Дикой Розой.

Некоторые люди утверждают, что видели ее призрак, который бродит по берегу реки. Голова призрака испачкана в крови, а в руке девушка держит розу.



58m

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



All comments from YouTube:

Mikołaj Bieliński

This is not song ..... This is timeless masterpiece

• Tia san•!🙌🏻

For sure, like many songs of the Greatest Nick!!!

Scouser in Scotland

Yes, i do not understand why Nick is not a billionaire, his music is excellent and not run of the mill.

Hans Bittink

Prachtnummer!

Tom Tom

oh yesssssssssssssss !! love and free hugs from france

barbara barbara

Great author, great voices, many people doesn't know this perfect song...

6 More Replies...

Benjamin Henderson

Nick Cave is just absolutely brilliant. One of the best story tellers of our time

Jamie Smyth

The lines “they call me the wild rose. But my name was Elisa Day” just makes me think all of those victims who became nothing but a name in the media that people would recognize only because of their horrific murders. The one that comes to mind immediately is the Black Dahlia. Another flower name. A woman who was the victim of a horrendous crime and is now only known through that dehumanizing title

Heer Ollie

This is exactly the most creepy part of it. Very well explained, thanks

the sea...

Perfectly said.

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