NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS - Where the Wild Roses Grow
View chords used in this chart
Chorus:
Gm C5 Gm
He called me the wild ro-ose
A# D
But my name was Elisa Day
Gm C5 Gm
Why he called me that I do not kno-ow
Gm F5 Gm
For my name was Elisa Day
Gm A#
>From the first day I saw her I knew she was the one
Cm D
She stared in my eyes and smiled
Gm A#
Her lips were the colour of the roses
Cm D
That grow down the river all bloody and wild
Gm A#
When he knocked on my door and entered the room
Cm D
My trembling subsided in his sure embrace
Gm A#
He would be my first man and with a careful hand
Cm D D7
He wiped off the tears that run down my face
Chorus
On the second day I brought her a flower
She was more beautiful than any woman I'd seen
I said "Do you know where the wild roses grow
so sweet and scarlet and free?"
On the second day he came with a single red rose
He said "Give me your lust and your sorrow"
I nodded my head as I lay on the bed
"If I show you the roses, will you follow?"
Chorus
On the third day he took me to the river
He showed me the roses and we kissed
And the last thing I heard was a martyr word
As he knelt above me with a rock in his fist
On the last day I took her where the wild roses grow
She lay on the bank going light as a thief (?)
And I kissed her goodbye, said all beauty must die
And I leant down and planted a rose between her teeth
Chorus
How to play NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS - Where the Wild Roses Grow
Use the controls above to change the key and text size. Follow the highlighted chords while listening, then practice each section slowly before playing at the original tempo.
What is the starting chord?
The first identified chord is Gm. You can transpose without leaving the page.
Can I play it on guitar or keyboard?
Yes. The chord progression works on acoustic guitar, electric guitar and keyboard. Adapt the voicings to your instrument and level.