Cherokee Rose

I was just out of the service, drifting through the countryside I found a field a fireflies to bed down for the night Before I fell asleep something caught my eye There was another man in the field, a shadow in moonlight Late in the springtime when the sun goes down You can find him in the field across the street from his house Picking him a bouquet underneath a May full moon With aging eyes as misty as an early morning dew I met him through the fireflies, he was a kind-hearted man And I asked about the bouquet as I went to shake his hand He told me about his late wife and the flowers that she grew And how springtime was her favorite 'Cause that's when everything would bloom He said at night I go pickin' a Cherokee rose I'll lay 'em on her headstone 'Cause she loved them the most No matter how many I have won't bring her back I suppose But it makes me feel close To my Cherokee Rose He took me to where she lay low And he said my dearest Rose I lost her givin' birth to a boy I'll never know Then we sat there in the silence as he held hands with her ghost Until we meet again the only peace I'll ever know He said at night I go pickin' a Cherokee rose I'll lay 'em on her headstone 'Cause she loved them the most No matter how many I have won't bring her back I suppose But it makes me feel close To my Cherokee Rose Well, the days went on and the years went by And on a rainy Autumn day, he joined her on the other side But in his will, it was much to my surprise He left me everything he had For just a small price Oh, it's been 35 years since this land became mine And many things have changed, but one thing has stood the test of time I spend every Spring pickin' flowers with my wife Because he taught me love is one thing that will never die So, now at night I go picking a Cherokee rose I lay it on his headstone, 'cause he loved her the most No matter how many I have won't bring her back I suppose But I know that he's close To his Cherokee Rose