Key: F
Introduction: F E Am
F
The sun's gonna rise and in my cold green eyes
E7
Is the hell that I?ve been through
Am F
What I learned tonight, is that this world ain?t right
E7 Am F E7 Am F E7 Am
And the devil?s got a rose tattoo
verse 2
F
Eight-fifty-one, we arrived at the club
E7 Am
I was wearing my last good dress
F
My man had bet everything he could get
E7 Am
And I was trying to get us out of the mess
F
At nine o?clock I made my walk
E7 Am
Like a tigress to the stage
F
And the people would stand like I was worth ten grand
E7 Am
And not singing for minimum wage
verse 3
F
Ten minutes in, they were passing the gin
E7 Am
And the club became a roar
F
My man was having a ball, but all I recall
E7 Am
Is his face when he looked toward the door
F
I was going to town when a hush came down
E7 Am
The dance floor became a tomb
F
A woman stepped in, she was small and slim
E7 Am
But her presence filled the whole damn room
verse 4
F
My man went pale like a torn up sail
E7 Am
As the woman walked right past me
F
Her dress was grey like a stormy day
E7 Am
And it flowed like a restless sea
F
I went flat on a note, I was watching her throat
E7 Am
She wore a necklace of pure jade
F
And her sleeve hung down off one side of her gown
E7 Am
To show a rose down her shoulder blade
Bridge
F
I lost sight of her and the rest was a blur
Am
As I sang and paced the stage
F
Eleven-o'-one, I was finally done
E7
And I sprung like a cat from a cage
F
He was gone from there, so I searched everywhere
Am
Till I found a girl I knew
D F
She said, "He left your show about an hour ago
E7 Am F E7 Am F E7 Am
With a woman with a rose tattoo"
Verse 5
F
I walked the street till I was dead on my feet
E7 Am
And I hit every joint I knew
F
I heard a man say, "I saw that woman in grey
E7 Am
I think her name is Penny LaRue"
F
Where she?s been and what?s her sin
E7 Am
No one in New Orleans knows
F
All they can tell, is she?s an angel from hell
E7 Am
With a tattoo of a rose
Verse 6
F
I said a prayer, let down my hair
E7 Am
I was now in the bad part of town
F
It was 3am and I followed some men
E7 Am
To a club called the Underground
F
I stepped inside, I could feel the vibe
E7 Am
There was danger in the room
F
And a whole lotta sin, sweat and skin
E7 Am
And the smell of cheap perfume
Verse 7
F
But through the lusty display was a woman in grey
E7 Am
Smiling like she knew
F
When she turned around, where her dress hung down
E7 Am
Was a shoulder with a rose tattoo
F
I saw the love she?d deprived me of
E7 Am
He was standing in that restless throng
F
When suddenly, he noticed me
E7 Am
But something just a-felt all wrong
Bridge
F
I heard a shout, a knife came out
Am
My man got in the way
F
He was dead as a door before he hit the floor
E7
While the band continued to play
F
I tried to scream, but like a horrible dream
Am D
There was nothing I could do
F
Time died, a siren cried
E7 Am F E7 Am F E7 Am
I saw a flash of a rose tattoo
Verse 8
F
I?m on the curb with a cop named Herb
E7 Am
Trying to sort out this mess
F
It?s five-twenty-five, I feel barely alive
E7 Am
And I?m wearing my last good dress
F
The sun?s gonna rise and in my cold green eyes
E7 Am
Is the hell I?ve been through
F
What I learned tonight, is that this world ain?t right
E7 F E7 Am
And the devil?s got a rose tattoo