Colby Acuff - Cherokee Rose Lyrics

I was just out of the service, drifting through the countryside
I found a field of 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 'cross 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 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 giving birth to a boy I'll never know
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 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 thirty-five 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