The song received a positive reception from music critics and became the band's most successful single worldwide reaching No. 3 in Norway, the top five in Australia, and the top twenty in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and New Zealand. It also received a limited promotional release in the United States. The song was certified Gold in Germany in 1996 for 250,000 copies sold, despite never reaching the top ten in that country. It charted again at the bottom of the German Top 100 in 2008 because of digital downloads after it was used in a soap opera. "Where the Wild Roses Grow" was also certified Gold in Australia for selling 50,000 copies.
Cave was inspired to write "Where the Wild Roses Grow" after listening to the traditional song, "Down in the Willow Garden", a tale of a man courting a woman and killing her while they are out together. Cave arranged this tale as second of two B-sides, "The Ballad of Robert Moore & Betty Coltrane" / "The Willow Garden", released on the CD-Maxi single version.
Although the song does not feature on a Minogue studio album, it can be found on her compilations Hits+, Greatest Hits 1987–1999, Ultimate Kylie and The Abbey Road Sessions. Minogue performed a chorus of the song during her Showgirl and Homecoming tours.
It reached number 8 in Triple J's Hottest 100 1995. In 2012, NME listed the song in the "100 Best Songs of the 1990s" at number 35.
Where the Wild Roses Grow
Nick Cave & Kylie Minogue 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
As she stared in my eyes and smiled
They 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 the tears that ran down my face
[Chorus]
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 rose
Said: 'Will you give me your loss and your sorrow?'
I nodded my head, as I laid on the bed
He said, 'If I show you the roses will you follow?'
[Chorus]
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 stood smiling 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
As I kissed her goodbye, I said, 'All beauty must die'
And lent down and planted a rose between her teeth
[Chorus]
The lyrics of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds's song "Where The Wild Roses Grow" narrate a tragic love story between a woman named Elisa Day and a man whose identity is not disclosed. The chorus begins with a haunting repetition of the line "They call me The Wild Rose, but my name was Elisa Day," indicating that the woman has a nickname that she doesn't quite understand. The first verse implies that the man who sings the song (presumably Nick Cave) has become enamored with Elisa Day from the moment that he met her. He notes that her lips are the same color as the roses that grow wild along the riverbanks, which we later learn is where Elisa will meet her tragic end.
The second verse reveals that the man and Elisa eventually become romantically involved, with Elisa losing her innocence to this man. The third verse describes the man taking Elisa to the river where the wild roses grow, and they share a kiss. However, the last thing that Elisa hears is the man's muttered word, which implies that he is about to kill her. The final verse confirms that the man has indeed murdered Elisa, and he takes her to lay on the riverbank where he plants a rose between her teeth. The chorus repeats, emphasizing that Elisa's real name has been overshadowed by her nickname, "The Wild Rose."
The song's hauntingly beautiful melody might obscure the darkness of the lyrics, but ultimately the story it tells is one of an abusive relationship wherein a man objectifies and murders a woman. It is a reminder of the tragic consequences that can result from unchecked toxic masculinity and the danger of idealizing or romanticizing dangerous relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
They call me The Wild Rose
I have a nickname, The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
My real name is Elisa Day
Why they call me it I do not know
I am unaware of the reason behind my nickname
For my name was Elisa Day
Once again, my real name is Elisa Day
From the first day I saw her I knew she was the one
I knew she was the right person for me as soon as I saw her
As she stared in my eyes and smiled
She looked into my eyes and smiled at me
For her lips were the colour of the roses
Her lips had the same color as the roses
They grew down the river, all bloody and wild
The roses grew along the river and were untamed and red like blood
When he knocked on my door and entered the room
When he came to my door and came inside
My trembling subsided in his sure embrace
I stopped shaking once he held me tightly
He would be my first man, and with a careful hand
He was going to be my first sexual partner, and he was gentle
He wiped the tears that ran down my face
He wiped away my tears that were streaming down my face
On the second day I brought her a flower
On the next day, I brought her a flower
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?'
They were beautiful, red, and natural
On the second day he came with a single rose
The next day he came with one rose
Said: 'Will you give me your loss and your sorrow?'
He asked for my sadness and pain
I nodded my head, as I laid on the bed
I agreed as I lay on the bed
He said, 'If I show you the roses will you follow?'
He asked if I would follow him if he showed me the wild roses
On the third day he took me to the river
On the next day, he took me to the river
He showed me the roses and we kissed
He showed me the roses and we kissed
And the last thing I heard was a muttered word
The last thing I heard was him whispering
As he stood smiling above me with a rock in his fist
I saw him smile as he stood above me holding a rock
On the last day I took her where the wild roses grow
On the final day, I brought her to where the wild roses grew
And she lay on the bank, the wind light as a thief
She lay on the riverbank while a light breeze stole through the air
As I kissed her goodbye, I said, 'All beauty must die'
As I said goodbye with a kiss, I mentioned how all beautiful things must eventually end
And lent down and planted a rose between her teeth
I knelt down and carefully placed a rose between her teeth
They call me The Wild Rose
Once again, they refer to me as The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
And, as before, my actual name was Elisa Day
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@58m48
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
@user-qy2jt8og4h
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.
@kateyounger4995
lyrics:
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 color 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've 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, "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
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 between her teeth
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
My name was Elisa Day
For my name was Elisa Day
@Robin_Hood054
This is not song ..... This is timeless masterpiece
@xx..tiasan
For sure, like many songs of the Greatest Nick!!!
@BobAt101
Yes, i do not understand why Nick is not a billionaire, his music is excellent and not run of the mill.
@hansbittink434
Prachtnummer!
@TomTom-lj7px
oh yesssssssssssssss !! love and free hugs from france
@barbarabarbara1527
Great author, great voices, many people doesn't know this perfect song...
@tapoi07
Heard this today for the first time in years and it’s a still a beautiful song in 2024. The melody is to die for.
@vintentgreene6959
Me too❤
@baueringa8648
szinte érzem azt a büdös rohadt sásos víz szagát....
@Octaoliva
Correct, great song