Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer, songwriter,… Read Full Bio ↴Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and musician. After studying musical theatre, in 2007, Jepsen placed third on the fifth season of Canadian Idol. In 2008, Jepsen released her folk music-influenced debut studio album, Tug of War, in Canada. Jepsen's breakthrough came in 2012, with her single "Call Me Maybe"; the song was the best-selling single of that year, selling 18 million copies and reaching number one in at least 19 countries. It led to record deals with School Boy Records and Interscope Records. Later that year, Jepsen released her second studio album, Kiss. In 2014, she made her Broadway theatre stage debut, playing the titular character in Cinderella for 12 weeks. The following year, she released her third studio album, Emotion, influenced by 1980s music, dance-pop and synth-pop. In 2016, Jepsen performed in the television special Grease: Live and voiced the animated film Ballerina. Her fourth studio album, Dedicated, was released in 2019, along with a follow-up titled Dedicated Side B distributed a year later. Her sixth studio album, The Loneliest Time, was released in October 2022, followed by her Seventh studio album, The Loveliest Time was released July 2023.

Carly Rae Jepsen has received three Juno Awards, a Billboard Music Award, and an Allan Slaight Award, in addition to nominations for Grammy Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Polaris Music Prize and People's Choice Awards.

Roses
Carly Rae Jepsen Lyrics

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Knock on the door, leaving it open
It wasn't you, why was I hoping?
Said it before and I'll say it again
That I'll always be here when you need a friend

I sat with you on my bedroom floor
And I couldn't move, all that we were losing
I saw you like I never did before

I never did before

And I can feel you reaching through the cracks
A simple change of seasons and you're back
All the roses in the garden fade to black, ooh, ooh
Yeah I can feel you reaching through the cracks
A simple change of heart and you attack
All the roses in the garden fade to black, ooh, ooh
I won't take it back

Cat got your tongue, it's been forever
Have you been good, have you been better?
I've said it before and I'll say it again
That I'll always be here if you need a friend

I sat with you on my bedroom floor
And I couldn't move, all that we were losing
I saw you like I never did before
I never did before

And I can feel you reaching through the cracks
A simple change of seasons and you're back
All the roses in the garden fade to black, ooh, ooh
Yeah, I can feel you reaching through the cracks
A simple change of heart and you attack
All the roses in the garden fade to black, ooh, ooh
I won't take it back

Drunk on cigarettes
Last chance, say the words
Dancing in the dark
Love made in the park
Big black blossom tree
Baby cover me
Hold me, left to blow
Please don't let me go
Please don't let me go

And I can feel you reaching through the cracks
A simple change of seasons and you're back
All the roses in the garden fade to black, ooh, ooh
Yeah I can feel you reaching through the cracks
A simple change of heart and you attack
All the roses in the garden fade to black, ooh, ooh
I won't take it back

Drunk on cigarettes
Last chance, say the words
I won't take it back
Dancing in the dark
I won't take it back (no I won't take it back)
Big black blossom tree
Baby cover me (I won't take it back)

Hold me, left to blow
Please don't let me go

Overall Meaning

Carly Rae Jepsen's "Roses" is a love song that reflects on the fragility of relationships and how easily they can be lost or regained. The opening lines, "Knock on the door, leaving it open, It wasn't you, why was I hoping?" suggest the singer is waiting for a lover to return, but is forced to confront the reality when it's not him at the door. Despite this, she reinforces her commitment of being a friend when he needs it, stating "I'll always be here when you need a friend."

The second verse shifts to an emotional scene of a heart-wrenching break-up, where both the singer and the lover are losing something special. She sings, "I sat with you on my bedroom floor, And I couldn't move, all that we were losing, I saw you like I never did before, I never did before." The chorus speaks of the lover coming back to her, either through a change of heart, or just through the passing of time, but it's clear that the singer is ready to receive him, as all the "roses in the garden fade to black."

The bridge of the song is a plea from the singer, as she begs her lover to stay with her, to not let her go. Even though they might be "drunk on cigarettes," and down to their "last chance," she implores him to "say the words," and cover her with his embrace. This repetition shows the urgency and desperation she feels to hold on to this relationship.

Overall, the song conveys Carly Rae Jepsen's emotions of love, loss, and hope, while highlighting the trying times one faces in a relationship. The beauty of the song comes from Jepsen's lyrics, showing that love can be a powerful emotion that can make people vulnerable at one time and invincible at another.

Line by Line Meaning

Knock on the door, leaving it open
I kept the door open expecting you to come in, but someone else arrived.

It wasn't you, why was I hoping?
I was hoping it'd be you, but it was someone else instead.

Said it before and I'll say it again That I'll always be here when you need a friend
I've mentioned it already, and I'll say it again that I'm always here to be a friend when you need one.

I sat with you on my bedroom floor And I couldn't move, all that we were losing I saw you like I never did before I never did before
We sat on the floor in my room, and I felt like we were losing something precious. Suddenly, I saw a new side of you that I'd never seen before.

And I can feel you reaching through the cracks A simple change of seasons and you're back All the roses in the garden fade to black, ooh, ooh
I sense that you're trying to come back to me, and your presence is as seasonal as the roses in the garden. But just like how the roses can't last, I know we can't either.

Yeah I can feel you reaching through the cracks A simple change of heart and you attack All the roses in the garden fade to black, ooh, ooh I won't take it back
I feel like you're trying to get close to me, but I know that if your heart changes again, you'll leave me just like the roses fade from the garden. I won't take back my decision to keep you at a distance.

Cat got your tongue, it's been forever Have you been good, have you been better? I've said it before and I'll say it again That I'll always be here if you need a friend
It's been a while since we talked, so how are you doing these days? As before, I'm repeating that I'm always here to be your friend.

Drunk on cigarettes Last chance, say the words Dancing in the dark Love made in the park Big black blossom tree Baby cover me Hold me, left to blow Please don't let me go Please don't let me go
We were smoking too many cigarettes and knew this might be our last moments together. We danced in the dark and even found love in the park. Next to the big black blossom tree, I asked for you to hold me and not let me go.

I won't take it back Dancing in the dark I won't take it back (no I won't take it back) Big black blossom tree Baby cover me (I won't take it back) Hold me, left to blow Please don't let me go
I won't take back what we had together, even though those moments were spent dancing in the dark near the big black blossom tree where we asked each other to cover and hold each other during the stormy night. Please don't let me go.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Written by: JOHN HUMPHREY, WILLIAM MCLAWHORN, DALE STEWART, SHAUN WELGEMOED

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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