The sun's gonna rise and in my cold green eyes
Is the hell that I?ve been through
What I learned tonight, is that this world ain?t right
And the devil?s got a rose tattoo
verse 2
Eight-fifty-one, we arrived at the club
I was wearing my last good dress
My man had bet everything he could get
And 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
verse 3
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 damn room
verse 4
My man went pale like a torn up sail
As the woman walked right past me
Her dress was grey 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
And her sleeve hung down off one side of her gown
To show a rose down her shoulder blade
Bridge
I lost sight of her and the rest was a blur
As I sang and paced the stage
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"
Verse 5
I walked the street till I was dead on my feet
And I hit every joint I knew
I heard a man say, "I saw that woman in grey
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
Verse 6
I said a prayer, let down my hair
I was now in the bad part of town
It was 3am and 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
And the smell of cheap perfume
Verse 7
But through the lusty display was a woman in grey
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 that restless throng
When suddenly, he noticed me
But something just a-felt all wrong
Bridge
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
Verse 8
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