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 & The Bad Seeds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
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
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 singer 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 singer 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 singer 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 singer 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
@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
@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.
@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
@Nickbeck97
“And I kissed her goodbye, said all beauty must die”. So beautiful, disturbing and emotional line. Nick Cave have to be the greatest lyricist of the past 30 years.
@TrickOrRetreat
Death chant indeed
@nadiaaurelia8518
Indeed
@lisamcdonald1014
I cried so hard at “All beauty, must die”
@marksmith8556
Morrissey, mark E smith, Alex turner all streets ahead of him.
But he's still sensational
@Mozarts-Sister
Jeffrey Lee Piece was better imo, & a great inspiration for Cave - & gave him the idea for a murder ballad LP!
@eusouaquelaxD
2024 anyone? I woke up today with this masterpiece in my head 🩶
@PeterGatho
Yup same.to me
@dmitryderek4096
Here😅
@eusouaquelaxD
@@dmitryderek4096 🥹🥹🥹 now its in my head again today, thank uuuu