Rose Tattoo

The suns gonna rise and in my cold green eyes
Is the hell I’ve been through
What I learned tonight is that this world ain’t right
And the devil’s got a rose tattoo

Eight fifty one we arrived at the club
I was wearing my last good dress
My man had bet everything he could get
I was trying to get us out of the mess
At Nine O’clock I made my walk
Like a tigress to the stage
And the people would stand like I was worth ten grand
And not singing for minimum wage

Ten minutes in they were passing the gin
And the club became a roar
My man was having a ball but all I recall
Is his face when he looked toward the door
I was going to town when a hush came down
The dance floor became a tomb
A woman stepped in, she was small and slim
But her presence filled the whole darn room

My man went pale like a torn up sail
As the woman walked right past me
Her dress was gray like a stormy day
And it flowed like a restless sea
I went flat on a note I was watching her throat
She wore a necklace of pure jade
Her sleeve hung down off one side of her gown
To show a rose down her shoulder blade

I lost sight of her and the rest was a blur
As I sang and paced the stage
It was eleven o' one I was finally done
And I sprung like a cat from a cage
He was gone from there so I searched everywhere
Till I found a girl I knew
She said he left your show about an hour ago
With a woman with a rose tattoo

I walked the street till I was dead on my feet
I hit every joint I knew
I heard a man say I saw that woman in gray
I think her name is Penny LaRue
Where she’s been and what’s her sin,
No one in New Orleans knows
All they can tell is she’s an angel from hell
With a tattoo of a Rose

I said a prayer and let down my hair
I was now in the bad part of town
It was 3am I followed some men
To a club called the Underground
I stepped inside, I could feel the vibe
There was danger in the room
And a whole lotta sin, sweat and skin
Smelling of cheap perfume

Through the lusty display was a woman in gray
Smiling like she knew
When she turned around where her dress hung down
Was a shoulder with a rose tattoo
I saw the love, she’d deprived me of
He was standing in the restless throng
When suddenly, he noticed me
But something just felt all wrong

I heard a shout, a knife came out,
My man got in the way
He was dead as a door before he hit the floor
While the band continued to play
I tried to scream but like a horrible dream
There was nothing I could do
Time died, a siren cried
I saw a flash of a rose tattoo

I’m on the curb with a cop named Herb
Trying to sort out this mess
It’s five twenty five, I feel barely alive
And I’m wearing my last good dress
The sun’s gonna rise and in my cold green eyes
Is the hell I’ve been through
What I learned tonight is that this world ain’t right
And the devil’s got a rose tattoo

lyrics & music: Mary James