Cash released her first single in 1979, a duet with Bobby Bare called "We Don't Need No Memories Hangin' 'Round". Two years later, she had her first country No. 1 (and the biggest commercial hit of her career), "Seven Year Ache". Although Cash was a prominent country star throughout the '80s, alongside fellow decade-defining artists Emmylou Harris, Juice Newton, and Dolly Parton, her music was anything but traditional: She topped the charts with songs written not only by herself, but by her father ("Tennessee Flat Top Box"), John Hiatt ("The Way We Make a Broken Heart"), Tom Petty ("Never Be You") and the Beatles ("I Don't Want to Spoil the Party"), "I Don't Know Why You Don't Want Me", which won her a Grammy in 1985, and "It's Such a Small World", a 1987 duet with Rodney Crowell on his album Diamonds & Dirt, provided further hits. A sampling of these songs and more are included on the compilation Hits 1979-1989. In 1979, she married Rodney Crowell, who was to produce most of her hit records. Their stormy marriage lasted until 1992; its break-up is chronicled in Cash's Interiors and in Crowell's album Life Is Messy. Cash later married John Leventhal, who produced her albums The Wheel, 10 Song Demo, Rules of Travel, and Black Cadillac.
To date, Cash has had more than twenty top 40 country singles, including eleven chart-toppers, but none since 1990, and she has left Nashville in both spirit and body to pursue her artistic vision. Although she had recorded all of her hits for Columbia Records' Nashville division, she released 10 Song Demo for the pop division of Capitol. Cash resurfaced in 2003 with Rules of Travel. The album features guest appearances by Sheryl Crow and Steve Earle, as well as a tune penned by Joe Henry and the Wallflowers' Jakob Dylan. Cash's latest album, entitled Black Cadillac, was released by Capitol Records in January 2006 to critical acclaim. Many of the songs were written by Cash and address the losses (within a 24-month span) of her step-mother, her father, her step-sister (Rosey Nix Adams) and then finally her mother on Cash's fiftieth birthday.
Roses In The Fire
Rosanne Cash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To make the flames a little higher
I watch your roses turn to dust
I know no man that I can trust
I throw your roses in the fire
'Cause I burn with pity and desire
I'll be your vision dressed in black
Another woman's on the telephone
Pick it up
Tell her you're home
I see your face turn into broken glass
Talking slow
Thinking fast
I throw your roses in the fire
No one could say I didn't try
I watch your roses fall like tears
I've crawled this path for all these years
I throw your roses in the fire
To burn away the old desire
We were a desperate pair of souls
So let me go
Another woman has her point of view
Let her talk
Now that we're through
I see your face retreat behind the glass
Oh I'll kill you if we can't be friends
I'll bleed like diamonds running
Through your hands
I'll be a bitter taste you can't forget
And I won't leave this world until you relent
I throw your roses on the fire
To burn away the old desire
I watch your roses turn to dust
I know no man that I can trust
I throw your roses in the fire
To make the flames a little higher
I'll be your vision dressed in black
Who won't be back
I won't be back
I won't be back
The lyrics of Rosanne Cash's song "Roses in the Fire" describe a fiery and passionate end to a tumultuous relationship. The singer symbolically throws her former lover's roses into the fire in order to fuel the flames of her desire, simultaneously watching them wither and die. She admits that she burns with both pity and desire, revealing a complex and conflicting set of emotions. The lyrics suggest that the relationship was founded on desperation, and that neither partner was truly trustworthy. The singer is determined to move on, to walk away from a relationship that has caused her so much pain and heartache. However, she is also determined to make her mark on her former lover, to be a bitter taste that he cannot forget.
The lyrics of "Roses in the Fire" reveal the depth of the singer's emotions as she grapples with the end of a difficult relationship. They suggest that even in moments of intense pain and heartache, there can be a fierce beauty in the burning of one love in order to make way for another. The song is a meditation on the complexities of human emotions, and an exploration of the sometimes harsh realities of falling in and out of love.
Line by Line Meaning
I throw your roses in the fire
I am getting rid of anything that reminds me of you
To make the flames a little higher
I want to intensify the feeling of anger and resentment towards you
I watch your roses turn to dust
I am witnessing the destruction of anything beautiful associated with you
I know no man that I can trust
There is no one in my life that I can confide in, love or trust
'Cause I burn with pity and desire
I am consumed by strong yet conflicting emotions towards you
I'll be your vision dressed in black
I will be a constant reminder of our past hurt and pain
Who won't be back
I am done with you and I am never turning back
Another woman's on the telephone
You have moved on and found someone else
Pick it up
Answer the phone and talk to her
Tell her you're home
Assure her that you are present and available
I see your face turn into broken glass
I witness the pain and devastation in your face
Talking slow
You are struggling to convey your message or explain your actions
Thinking fast
You are processing the situation quickly and trying to come up with a solution
No one could say I didn't try
I gave this relationship my all and put in a lot of effort
I watch your roses fall like tears
I observe the loss and sadness that come with letting go of things that once held meaning to us
I've crawled this path for all these years
I have been in this relationship for a long time and I have tried to make it work
To burn away the old desire
I am trying to get rid of any remaining feelings of love or longing towards you
We were a desperate pair of souls
Our relationship was characterized by neediness and desperation on both our parts
So let me go
It is time for us to let go and move on with our lives
Another woman has her point of view
You are now seeing things from a different perspective, perhaps from someone else's point of view
Let her talk
Listen to her side of things and consider her opinion
Now that we're through
Our relationship has come to an end and there is no going back
Oh I'll kill you if we can't be friends
If we can't find a way to reconcile and make peace, it will be the end of us
I'll bleed like diamonds running
I will suffer greatly if we cannot work things out
Through your hands
Your actions will affect me deeply
I'll be a bitter taste you can't forget
I will always be a painful reminder of our past and our failed relationship
And I won't leave this world until you relent
I will not be at peace until we can resolve our issues and find a way to move on
To burn away the old desire
I am trying to get rid of any remaining feelings of love or longing towards you
I won't be back
I am done with you and our relationship, and I am moving on with my life
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: ROSANNE CASH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jamesfair4315
I adored this song from it's release and still love it. It's the perfect divorce bitterness song I have ever heard.
@pattimyers886
Just love this..her voice and lyrics
@pattimyers886
What a voice.
@shiteatindawg
She's one of the true songbirds
@pattimyers886
What a voice.