Where The Wild Roses Grow – English Lyrics

• By: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Kylie Minogue
• Album: Murder Ballads

Lyrics & Translation

"Where The Wild Roses Grow" offers a unique opportunity to explore narrative storytelling and contrasting perspectives in English. The song's clear, albeit poetic, lyrics make it an excellent tool for language learners to follow a story and understand character development through song. The stark difference between the two vocal styles and the unfolding tragedy provides a rich ground for discussion and interpretation, making learning English through this song both a linguistic and an emotional journey.

[English]

They call me The Wild Rose

But my name was Eliza Day

Why they call me it, I do not know

For my name was Eliza 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 Eliza Day

Why they call me that, I do not know

For my name was Eliza 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 Eliza Day

Why they call me it, I do not know

For my name was Eliza 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 lied 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 Eliza Day

Why they call me it I do not know

For my name was Eliza Day

My name was Eliza Day

For my name was Eliza Day

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
rose /roʊz/ A2	noun - a type of flowering plant
wild /waɪld/ B1	adjective - living or growing in the natural environment; not domesticated
beautiful /ˈbjuːtɪfəl/ B1	adjective - pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically
sorrow /ˈsɔːroʊ/ B2	noun - a feeling of deep distress caused by loss, disappointment, or other misfortune
tears /tɪrz/ A2	noun - drops of clear salty liquid produced by glands in the eyes
kissed /kɪst/ A2	verb - to touch with the lips as a sign of love or greeting
day /deɪ/ A1	noun - a period of 24 hours as a unit of time
colour /ˈkʌlər/ A2	noun - the property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way it reflects or emits light
river /ˈrɪvər/ A1	noun - a large natural stream of water flowing in a channel to the sea, a lake, or another river
follow /ˈfɑːloʊ/ A2	verb - to go or come after
man /mæn/ A1	noun - an adult male human
teeth /tiːθ/ A2	noun - hard, bony structures in the jaws of many vertebrates, used for biting and chewing
first /fɜːrst/ A1	adjective - coming before all others in order, time, or importance
took /tʊk/ A2	verb - to grasp, carry, or move something from one place to another
knocked /nɑːkt/ A2	verb - to strike a surface noisily to attract attention

Key Grammar Structures

• Why they call me it, I do not know

  ➔ Use of the question word 'Why' at the beginning of a sentence to inquire about reasons.

  ➔ 'Why' introduces a question asking for a reason or explanation.

• And I kissed her goodbye

  ➔ Use of the simple past tense 'kissed' to describe a completed action in the past.

  ➔ 'Kissed' is the simple past form of 'kiss', indicating a completed action in the past.

• She was more beautiful than any woman I've seen

  ➔ Use of the comparative 'more beautiful' to compare two qualities.

  ➔ 'More beautiful' is a comparative form used to compare the degree of beauty between two things.

• They call me The Wild Rose

  ➔ Use of the simple present 'call' to indicate a general or habitual action.

  ➔ 'Call' in the present tense indicates a current or habitual action of naming or referring to someone.

• And her lips were the colour of the roses

  ➔ Use of 'were' as the past tense of 'are' for plural subjects.

  ➔ 'Were' is the past tense form of 'are', used here for plural subjects to indicate a state in the past.

• And I lent down and planted a rose 'tween her teeth

  ➔ Use of the past tense 'lent' and 'planted' to describe sequential completed actions.

  ➔ 'Lent' and 'planted' are past tense verbs describing actions done sequentially in the past.