The Last Rose

Lyrics

[Intro] In the glasshouse, winter holds its breath One red petal rests against the pane [Verse 1: Woman] I kept your name beneath the garden stone Where rain came softly through the iron gate The beds are bare, the little birds have flown And every morning asks me if I’ll wait [Verse 2: Man] I brought the shears, but could not make the cut Your careful hands had taught the stem to bend I thought the frost would close the story up But here it is, still reaching toward the end [Pre-Chorus: Duet] If one small bloom can outlast all this cold What does it know that we forgot to hold? [Chorus: Duet] The last rose, red against the gray Keeps one bright promise at the edge of day We cannot make the vanished seasons stay But we can love what hasn’t turned away The last rose, trembling on its own Still gives its color to the darkened stone [Verse 3: Woman] I’ll leave the window open through the night Let moonlit air move gently through the room Perhaps the dawn will find us by its light With empty hands, but space enough to bloom [Bridge: Man] No vow can bind the years or call them back No root can drink the river as before [Bridge: Woman] Then stay beside me while the sky turns black We’ll keep this one small living thing in store [Final Chorus: Duet] The last rose, red against the gray A tender flame the frost could not betray We cannot ask the vanished years to stay But we can bless the love that found its way The last rose, leaning toward the dawn Its quiet courage lingers when we’re gone [Outro: Duet] When petals fall, the color will remain A little warmth beneath the winter rain Goodnight, dear rose… goodnight again