A tiny turned up nose, two cheeks just like a rose.
So sweet from head to toe, that little girl of mine.
( Spoken)
I had gone to visit the grave of a friend of mine.
And as I walked through the graveyard,
I noticed this man kneeling down by a grave of a child.
And as I started to walk by,
I noticed that he had a big red rose in his hand
and tears were streaming down his cheeks.
I walk over, laid a hand on his shoulder
and started to talk to him.
And in the course of the conversation,
and in his broken English,
this is the story as he told it to me.
He said mister, I walk-a-down the street-a today
and-a I pass-a by a big-a flower shop.
I walk-a into the shop and I ask-a the man,
I said Boss, how much for one-a red rose?
And-a he look-a atme with one big frown
and he said one-a dollar please. But a-by and-a by a swell dressed blond young-a lady walk-a in.
And she said-a how much for-a one red rose?
And-a he look-a at her with big-a smile and he said-a ten cents.
And I said-a Boss,
how come-a you charge-a me a dollar for the rose
and you charge-a the lady only ten-a cents.
And he said-a look, tell me why you want-a the rose
and maybe I give it to you for nothing.
And I said Boss, I'm hard-a working man,
I work-a for the railroad.
And I got-a little girl and her name is Rosa.
Rosa is just about this-a high Boss.
Everyday when I come-a home from work
little Rosa come-a running to meet her papa.
She throws her little arms around my neck
and say Papa, and I say Rosa.
But one-a day, Boss I come home from work
and I don't-a see Rosa.
I look down by the railroad tracks
and I see-a one big-a crowd.
I go down and push-a the crowd this way
and I push-a the crowd that way
and there at my feet lay my little Rosa.
And that's why I want-a the Rose-a Boss,
I want to put them on my little Rosa grave.
The man he don't-a say nothing
but he pick the biggest and reddest rose and he give-a to me.
And I said thank-a you, Boss, I thank you very much.
And though she's gone you see,
she's the world to me. To me she'll always be,
thats little girl of mine.
