Little Rosa

Little Rosa was her name and still I cry in vain

My world won't be the same since she's gone from me

I have gone to visit the grave of a friend of mine

And as I walked thru the grave yard I noticed this man kneeling down

By the grave of a child

And in his hand he held a big red rose and tears were streaming down his cheeks

I walked over and laid a hand on his shoulder and started to talk to him

And during the course of our conversation and in his broken English

This is the story just as he told it to me

He said to me Mister I've walked down the street on today

And I passed about the big flower shop

I walked in and I asked the man in the shop

I said boss how much is for one red rose

Then he looked at me with one bigger frown and he says it's one dollar please

But in a buyin' buyer was well dressed blonde lady walked in

And she says how much is for one red rose

And he looked at her with one bigger smile and he says it's ten cents

Now I said boss how come to you to charge me a dollar for the rose

And charged the young lady only ten cents

When he says look Mister you tell me why you want the rose

And maybe I give it to you for not

I said boss I'm a hard working man working a railroad

Only make a three dollar a day

And I got a little girl and her name was Rosa Rosa's just about this high boss

Every day when I'd come home from the work

A little Rosa come running to meet her papa

And she'd throw her little arms around my neck and say papa and I'd say Rosa

But one day boss I've come home from the work I don't see Rosa

I looked down the railroad track and I see one big crowd

I'd go down and I pushed the crowd this a way and pushed the crowd that a way

There boss at my feet lay my little Rosa and that's why I want the rose boss

I wanna put it on little Rosa's grave

Then man he didn't say not but he picked the biggest and the reddest rose

And he gave it to me

And I say thank you boss thank you very much

And though she's gone you see she's still the world to me

To me she'll always be that little girl of mine