A rose has to die
Dennis East Lyrics


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Do you remember how we loved last summer?
How you held me tight
And we would dance the night away?
Then the autumn leaves come down
And took away the love we found
And left me in a lonely world of grey

'Cause a rose has to die
Every time you tell a lie
A promise once it's given must be true
Watch each rose bow it's head
When it knows our love is dead
And it's never gonna bloom again for you

On the beach the harbour lights are shining
I remember how they used to shine for you and me
And in the park where roses grew
Once you whispered I love you
There's nothing but a weeping willow tree

'Cause a rose has to die
Every time you tell a lie
A promise once it's given must be true
Watch each rose bow it's head
When it knows our love is dead
And it's never gonna bloom again for you
Watch each rose bow it's head
When it knows our love is dead
And it's never gonna bloom again for you

Cause a rose has to die
Every time you tell a lie
A promise once it's given must be true
Watch each rose bow it's head
When it knows our love is dead




And it's never gonna bloom again for you
And it's never gonna bloom again for you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in "A Rose Has to Die" by Dennis East tell the story of a love that once was beautiful and strong, but ultimately fell apart due to one of the two lovers telling lies. The song starts off with a nostalgic memory of the past summer, where the couple had a wonderful time together dancing the night away. However, with the arrival of autumn, the love they once had began to fade away. The bridge of the song brings us back to the happy times with harbor lights shining and roses growing in the park. But the once beautiful roses now only serve as a reminder of a love that has died.


East then goes on to explain that every time someone tells a lie, a rose has to die. He emphasizes the importance of keeping promises, stating that a promise once given must be true. He then goes on to describe how each rose knows when the love is dead, and it will never bloom again for the one who has told the lie. The chorus is repeated twice in the song to drive this point home.


The lyrics of this song are a powerful metaphor for the fragility of love and the damage that dishonesty can do to a relationship. It emphasizes the importance of honesty and the fact that once trust is broken, it is difficult to repair. The song's soft melody draws the listeners in and allows them to reflect on their own experiences where they may have been hurt or hurt others due to dishonesty.


Line by Line Meaning

Do you remember how we loved last summer?
Do you recall the memories of how we loved each other during the past summer?


How you held me tight
Remember how you used to hold me in your arms tightly?


And we would dance the night away?
We spent hours dancing together until the morning light - it was beautiful.


Then the autumn leaves come down
But after summer ended, autumn arrived with all of its changes and challenges.


And took away the love we found
And with the arrival of autumn, our love changed or disappeared.


And left me in a lonely world of grey
Leaving me alone in a world where everything felt pointless and dreary.


'Cause a rose has to die
The reason why our love is gone is that just like a rose, it cannot survive if not given proper care.


Every time you tell a lie
Someone's dishonest words can damage a relationship beyond repair, just like how a rose can wither if not watered.


A promise once it's given must be true
If a promise is made, it must be kept, otherwise, it is like a flower without light - useless and dead.


Watch each rose bow it's head
Observe carefully how each flower is drooping, which represents the sorry state of our lost love.


When it knows our love is dead
When the rose senses that love once existed but is now gone, it starts to wilt, just like our love did.


And it's never gonna bloom again for you
Our love is so damaged that it will never again blossom, like the rose that will never come back to life.


On the beach, the harbour lights are shining
The memory of the bright lights shining against the water's edge brings back memories of romantic evenings.


I remember how they used to shine for you and me
But now those sights and sounds hold a bittersweet taste due to our lost love.


And in the park where roses grew
In another location, we encountered a beautiful garden full of roses that reminded us of our love.


Once you whispered I love you
Back then, you used to say 'I love you' and meant it.


There's nothing but a weeping willow tree
But now all that remains in the park is a solitary tree, which represents the only thing my love has left.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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Comments from YouTube:

Jonathan Stevens

Wonderful Voice and Great memories. R.I.P. Dennis East

Rosemarie S

This beautiful song brings back sweet memories.. ❤️🌹

tjops1000

Thank you for the music Dennis. The best singer ever! RIP Anita Jackson, Bloemfontein

Rene Ramon

I remember this song when I was living in the Transvaal in the 70's. A RSA classic!! Thanks Dennis.
I dedicate this to Ria (Maria) Nortje from Florida, Roodepoort.

mlw61

Early in 1978, I went to see the British group The Dooleys. They sung this song, and I tought I remembered it from earlier in the 70s. Maybe it was Dennis' version that I'd heard. Fantastic song :-)

calleaeste

Good song well produced and sung

Riana Labuschagne

Hy sing darem so mooi. Al sy liedjies so pragtig. Wonder of mens nog van sy CDs kry

Johan Fourie

Always beautiful..... You were great. RIP

raulantonio65

Excellent.

Alzanne Sings

So mooi, eķ was sekr onder 10jr oud toe hierie n hit was.....maar dit bring sulke soete bitter hartseer herhinneringe terug😭❤

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