Mary Rose

Down past Leiper's Fork
where the Harpeth bends
Mary Rose came to her end
with a watermelon pit in her mouth
Her pale blue eyes were open wide
and the snowflakes fell inside
High above her gaze
in the sky so grey
the last Heron flew south

The fire rolls away
when there ain't nothing left to burn
Well, those clouds roll in
when summer ends
and the roses wilt in turn
The more you gave
the more it took
and it just ain't fair, I know
But at least before you went to sleep
you brought a dream right into this world
Mary Rose

That seed it cracked
as the sky turned black
and it slid on down her throat
The moon did rise
to say goodbye
a whippoorwill delivered the note
As her body sank
on that muddy bank
a sprout rose through her teeth
A tear did slide
from the corner of her eye
the world watched in disbelief

The fire rolls away
when there ain't nothing left to burn
Well, those clouds roll in
when summer ends
and the roses wilt in turn
The more you gave
the more it took
and it just ain't fair, I know
But at least before you went to sleep
you brought a dream right into this world
Mary Rose

As dawn came on
a little boy's song
broke upon the Harpeth shore
at the place where Mary Rose once laid
but her body laid there no more
Instead, a watermelon vine
with fruit so fine
like emeralds, in the snow they shone
Little Jackson Rose
picked the best of those
and it tasted just like home

The fire rolls away
when there ain't nothing left to burn
Well, those clouds roll in
when summer ends
and the roses wilt in turn
The more you gave
the more it took
and it just ain't fair, I know
But at least before you went to sleep
you brought a dream right into this world
Mary Rose