Rose
Poe Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Jezebel...From Israel,
Who never read a book,
Charmed the literati,
And a smile was all it took.

I was laughing with Picasso,
When she first entered the room,
But Gershwin, Tristan, Tzara,
And Man Ray saw her too.

There was never any doubt,
All would try to take her home,
But she refused their every move,
Preferred to be alone.

And a rose...A rose is a rose.

Zelda had a breakdown,
Fitzgerald hit the bar.
His hand was broken, words were spoken,
Didn't get too far.

Hemmingway was smoother,
More debonaire and fun,
But he would say her repartee,
Was meaner than a gun.

Chorus:
And a rose...

A rose is a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose...
Said my good friend Gertrude Stein.
She knows that I go to the ol' Deux Magots,
And I drink Pernod through the night.

Jezebel...From Israel,
Who never read a book,
She charmed the literati
And a smile was all it took.

Before her Joyce will babble,
And Pound has gone insane,
Eliot is paralyzed by,
Thoughts of April rain.

When she refused Lenin,
He vowed to start a war.
Stravinsky beat The right of Spring,
Right there on the floor.

Chorus

And then one night she's missing,
A riot soon began.
No one could stand the thought of Jezzie with another man.

I raced down winding streets,
I broke into her house.
You never guess who Jezebel,
Was kissing on the couch.

A rose...A rose is a rose...

Hi Jezzie. Hi there, Gertrude.
Am I interrupting something?





A rose is a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose...

Overall Meaning

In Poe's song "A Rose Is A Rose," she tells the story of Jezebel, a woman from Israel who never read a book but charmed the literati with just a smile. She waltzed into a room full of renowned artists like Picasso, Gershwin, Tristan, Tzara, and Man Ray, and they all noticed her. All of them wanted to take her home, but she refused everyone's advances and preferred to be alone. Gertrude Stein's famous quote "A rose is a rose is a rose" is present throughout the chorus of the song, likely referring to the idea that Jezebel was simply who she was, and no one could fully understand her.


The story continues with mentions of Zelda Fitzgerald and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Vladimir Lenin, all of whom Jezebel rejected in some way. The final part of the song tells of Jezebel's sudden disappearance, which caused a riot among her admirers. The singer of the song raced through the streets searching for Jezebel and finally found her kissing someone else on the couch.


Throughout the song, Poe uses her knack for storytelling to paint a picture of the roaring twenties, an era in which artists and writers lived larger than life. Jezebel stands as a symbol of all the women who charmed their way through this era and lived their lives on their terms. The song reminds us that no matter how famous or talented someone is, they're still only human, and love can make or break them.


Line by Line Meaning

Jezebel...From Israel,
Jezebel was a woman from Israel who caught the attention of many, despite never having read a book.


Who never read a book,
Jezebel was an illiterate woman from Israel.


Charmed the literati,
Despite her lack of literacy, Jezebel was able to captivate many literary figures.


And a smile was all it took.
Jezebel's smile was enough to captivate the hearts of many literary figures.


I was laughing with Picasso,
The artist (presumably Poe himself) was in the company of Pablo Picasso when Jezebel entered the room.


When she first entered the room,
Jezebel entered the room and caught the attention of many literary figures.


But Gershwin, Tristan, Tzara,
George Gershwin, Tristan Tzara, and Samuel Beckett were all in attendance when Jezebel entered the room.


And Man Ray saw her too.
Additionally, the artist Man Ray was also present when Jezebel entered the room.


There was never any doubt,
It was clear to everyone in the room that they were all drawn to Jezebel.


All would try to take her home,
Despite Jezebel's refusal to be intimate with anyone, many people in the room tried to take her home with them.


But she refused their every move,
Jezebel refused the advances of everyone in the room.


Preferred to be alone.
Jezebel preferred to be alone and not engage in any intimacy with anyone in the room.


And a rose...A rose is a rose.
Amidst all the chaos of the scene, the rose represents the simple yet complicated beauty of Jezebel.


Zelda had a breakdown,
The singer brings up and interweaves the story of Zelda Fitzgerald's breakdown with that of Jezebel.


Fitzgerald hit the bar.
In response to Zelda's breakdown, F. Scott Fitzgerald turned to drinking.


His hand was broken, words were spoken,
Scott's hand was broken in a fight, and harsh words were spoken between him and Zelda.


Didn't get too far.
Whatever they were arguing about didn't get too far and nothing was resolved.


Hemmingway was smoother,
Ernest Hemingway was mentioned as someone who was at the scene of the earlier chaos, and was trying to charm Jezebel.


More debonaire and fun,
Hemingway was seen as a charming and fun person by most, especially in contrast to Fitzgerald.


But he would say her repartee,
Hemingway admired Jezebel's wit and ability to converse intelligently.


Was meaner than a gun.
Hemingway admired Jezebel's ability to pierce through someone's facade with her sharp tongue.


And a rose...
The rose is again mentioned, this time as a beautiful reminder of the chaos that has occurred.


A rose is a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose...
Gertrude Stein, a friend of the singer, mentions her famous quote about the simplicity of the rose and how it never loses its essence.


Said my good friend Gertrude Stein.
The artist mentions Gertrude Stein as their friend.


She knows that I go to the ol' Deux Magots,
Gertrude Stein knew that the singer frequented a cafe called Deux Magots.


And I drink Pernod through the night.
The singer mentions their drink of choice when at the Deux Magots cafe.


Before her Joyce will babble,
James Joyce is mentioned as someone who is silenced and struck by Jezebel's beauty when she is present.


And Pound has gone insane,
Ezra Pound is mentioned as someone who has gone insane due to the preoccupation and admiration for Jezebel.


Eliot is paralyzed by,
T.S. Eliot is mentioned as someone who is frozen and unable to act due to being under Jezebel's spell.


Thoughts of April rain.
T.S. Eliot is unable to function due to the thought of April rain, which may have connections to Jezebel.


When she refused Lenin,
Lenin was mentioned as someone who was interested in Jezebel, but was ultimately denied by her.


He vowed to start a war.
Lenin made a grandiose empty promise to start a war due to being denied by Jezebel.


Stravinsky beat The right of Spring,
Igor Stravinsky is mentioned as being physically expressive due to his admiration for Jezebel.


Right there on the floor.
Stravinsky was so passionate about his admiration that he expressed it physically, right there on the floor.


And then one night she's missing,
Jezebel's disappearance sparks a chaotic, emotional reaction from those who knew her.


A riot soon began.
Her absence sparked a riot, showing how much of an impact she had on everyone's lives.


No one could stand the thought of Jezzie with another man.
Everyone present could not stand the thought of Jezebel being with another man, showing how much they loved her.


I raced down winding streets,
The singer went out and searched for Jezebel.


I broke into her house.
The singer goes to Jezebel's house to look for her.


You never guess who Jezebel,
The artist discovers something surprising about Jezebel.


Was kissing on the couch.
The artist discovers that Jezebel was kissing someone on the couch, which may have sparked the chaos and love for her.


Hi Jezzie. Hi there, Gertrude.
The singer greets Jezebel and Gertrude in a seemingly casual manner, creating a sense of ambiguity and contrast to the intense love and drama in the rest of the song.


Am I interrupting something?
The singer playfully invokes humor in their greeting, as if they do not know about the chaos and love surrounding Jezebel.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@SB-hc1nt

I was lucky enough to see her live a while back she opened for Depeche Mode. Her brother also sang on Hey Pretty live. WOW .

@ellisparrish5002

Exciter tour; I was there. Several times.

@twistedsisters3

I've been raised on Poe since I was little and just discovered this song on my ipod; I had never heard it before. Apparently my mom downloaded it a while back and I just didn't know it existed. I LOVE this song! I laughed out loud when I heard it the first time. Pure stroke of genius, in my opinion. I was already taken by the old cabaret sound, the art and literary nerd references were a plus and then the end of the story just blew me away! Fantastic.

@Enough2Choke

From the 1997 alternative/lounge crossover compilation album "Lounge-A-Palooza".  Great album, and a great track.

@AsmrAmurana

Thank you! I can never find any information about this song existing. A friend gave it to me on a burned mix cd and I've always wondered the story behind it.

@stephlmt123

Thank you for posting this song! I saw Poe sing this live opening for Depeche Mode fantastic show. Played a lot off of "Haunted"one of fav. albums of all time. This song is smooth and sexy,the fact she  picked Gertrude Stein very nice. "Padre Fear" my other favorite.

@MrRatchakay

am I interrupting something? ''Ah non non non! ON ne faisait que discuter de... la couleur du café et... des sofas!'' LOVE IT!

@thekillermfkaty

America Wants More of This Poe! Please?!? I beg on behalf of us ALL!

@yammahopper

More jazz Poe.  Please, just a great sound and vibe.

@aemxo

I can't believe I ever forgot about this amazing song. I love Poe! A musical gem!

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