When the Roses Bloom Again
Jeff Tweedy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where the roses were in bloom
A soldier and his sweetheart brave and true
And their hearts were filled with sorrow
For their thoughts were of tomorrow
As she pinned a rose upon his coat of blue
Do not ask me love to linger
For duty calls your sweetheart's name again
And your heart need not be sighing
If I be among the dying
I'll be with you when the roses bloom again
When the roses bloom again
Beside the river
And the mockingbird has sung his sweet refrain
In the days of auld lang syne
I'll be with you sweetheart mine
I'll be with you when the roses bloom again
Mid the rattle of the battle
Came a whisper soft and low
A soldier who had fallen in the fray
I am dying, I am dying
And I know I'll have to go
But I want to tell you
Before I pass away
There's a far and distant river
Where the roses are in bloom
A sweetheart who is waiting there for me
And it's there I pray you take me
I've been faithful, don't forsake me
I'll be with her when the roses bloom again
Jeff Tweedy’s song When the Roses Bloom Again depicts a poignant story of two lovers, one of whom is a soldier who is about to depart for battle, and they are walking through a garden where the roses are in bloom. As they stroll, their hearts are filled with sorrow as they think about the future, and his sweetheart pins a rose on his coat of blue. The lyrics talk about the struggle of letting go and the hope to reunite in the future. The second verse progresses to the battlefield, and while amidst the rattle and battle, a soldier whispers his last words before dying. He tells about the distant river where the roses bloom again and she waits for him. The lyrics express a scenario of sacrifice, separation, and the hope to reunite after death.
This song was originally written by A. W. A. Pullen in the late 1800s under the title of The Convict and the Rose. It was further developed and sung by various artists throughout the years, including Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, who released his version in 2006 for the soundtrack of the film "Brothers." Tweedy's rendition has a slower, mournful melody than the original song's traditional and up-tempo tune.
Line by Line Meaning
They were strolling in the gloaming
They were walking at sunset
Where the roses were in bloom
Where the rose flowers were blooming
A soldier and his sweetheart brave and true
A brave and loyal soldier with his girlfriend
And their hearts were filled with sorrow
They were sad at heart
For their thoughts were of tomorrow
They were worried about the future
As she pinned a rose upon his coat of blue
She put a rose on his blue coat
Do not ask me love to linger
Don't ask me to stay
When you know not what to say
When you don't have anything to say
For duty calls your sweetheart's name again
Your lover has to go because of duty
And your heart need not be sighing
You don't have to be sad
If I be among the dying
If I die
I'll be with you when the roses bloom again
I'll be with you in the future
When the roses bloom again
In the future when the rose flowers bloom
Beside the river
Next to the river
And the mockingbird has sung his sweet refrain
And the mockingbird has sung a sweet melody
In the days of auld lang syne
In the old days
I'll be with you sweetheart mine
I'll be with you my darling
I'll be with you when the roses bloom again
I'll be with you in the future
Mid the rattle of the battle
In the midst of the battle noise
Came a whisper soft and low
Whispered softly
A soldier who had fallen in the fray
A fallen soldier
I am dying, I am dying
I'm going to die
And I know I'll have to go
I know I have to leave
But I want to tell you
But I want to say
Before I pass away
Before I die
There's a far and distant river
There's a faraway river
Where the roses are in bloom
Where the rose flowers are blooming
A sweetheart who is waiting there for me
My lover is waiting for me there
And it's there I pray you take me
Please take me there
I've been faithful, don't forsake me
I've been loyal, don't forget me
I'll be with her when the roses bloom again
I'll be with her in the future when rose flowers bloom
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JEFF TWEEDY, WOODY GUTHRIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sevrae
They were strolling in the gloaming
Where the roses were in bloom
A soldier and his sweetheart brave and true
And their hearts were filled with sorrow
For their thoughts were of tomorrow
As she pinned a rose upon his coat of blue
Do not ask me love to linger
When you know not what to say
For duty calls your sweetheart's name again
And your heart need not be sighing
If I be among the dying
I'll be with you when the roses bloom again
When the roses bloom again
Beside the river
And the mockingbird has sung his sweet refrain
In the days of auld lang syne
I'll be with you sweetheart mine
I'll be with you when the roses bloom again
Mid the rattle of the battle
Came a whisper soft and low
A soldier who had fallen in the fray
I am dying, I am dying
And I know I'll have to go
But I want to tell you
Before I pass away
There's a far and distant river
Where the roses are in bloom
A sweetheart who is waiting there for me
And it's there I pray you take me
I've been faithful, don't forsake me
I'll be with her when the roses bloom again
Flora Bunda
Here's original lyrics from mudcat cafe. ( Most likely written about the Spanish American War which had just ended; long time after Civil War.)
I'LL BE WITH YOU WHEN THE ROSES BLOOM AGAIN
(Will D. Cobb & Gus Edwards, 1901)
They are roaming in the gloaming where the roses are in bloom,
Just a soldier and his sweetheart staunch and true,
But her heart is filled with sorrow, and her thoughts are of the morrow,
As she pins a rose upon his coat of blue.
"Do not ask me, love, to linger, for you know not what to say.
When my duty calls, my sweetheart's voice is vain,
But your heart need not be sighing; if I'm not among the dying,
I'll be with you when the roses bloom again.
CHO: "When the roses bloom again beside the river,
And the robin redbreast sings his sweet refrain,
As in days of Auld Lang Syne, I'll be with you, sweetheart mine.
I'll be with you when the roses bloom again."
Mid the rattle of a battle comes a whisper soft and low,
For a soldier boy has fallen in the fray:
"I am dying, Captain, dying, and I know that I must go,
But I want your promise ere I pass away.
"There's a far and distant river where the roses bloom so fair.
There's a maiden who is waiting all in vain.
It is there I'll have you take me. I've been faithful. Don't forsake me.
I must be there when the roses bloom again. CHO.
Marilyn'sPlanet
The BEST version of this old Civil War sentimental and romantic song, hands down! Wilco you ROCK this one!
Sevrae
They were strolling in the gloaming
Where the roses were in bloom
A soldier and his sweetheart brave and true
And their hearts were filled with sorrow
For their thoughts were of tomorrow
As she pinned a rose upon his coat of blue
Do not ask me love to linger
When you know not what to say
For duty calls your sweetheart's name again
And your heart need not be sighing
If I be among the dying
I'll be with you when the roses bloom again
When the roses bloom again
Beside the river
And the mockingbird has sung his sweet refrain
In the days of auld lang syne
I'll be with you sweetheart mine
I'll be with you when the roses bloom again
Mid the rattle of the battle
Came a whisper soft and low
A soldier who had fallen in the fray
I am dying, I am dying
And I know I'll have to go
But I want to tell you
Before I pass away
There's a far and distant river
Where the roses are in bloom
A sweetheart who is waiting there for me
And it's there I pray you take me
I've been faithful, don't forsake me
I'll be with her when the roses bloom again
John Lacy
Wilco is the perfect band to bring Guthrie's lyrics to life. Genius + Genius.
Mark Schamber
🌎🌍🌎🌍🌎🌍🌎🌍🌎🌍🌎
🎼
Billy Bragg. 🎵
🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹
Soori Johnston
I love this song . All the songs in this album are beautiful. Aleays have tears when I listen to this song
John Lacy
Wilco really knows how to bring Guthrie's beautiful lyrics to life.
Potblackettle
This actually isnt a Guthrie song. Its a much older song first credited to... Cobb and Edwards I think. A copy was among Guthrie's papers and that's how this version came to be :)
VALERIE CLARK
@Potblackettle Yeah, and he copyrighted it as his own work. Shame on Woody!
Veshay1979
beautiful lyrics well orchestrated great vocals.....
V L Authenrieth
I love this version of a very old song.