Rose Petals
Rose Petals
"Rose Petals, simply put, is a song that pleads with our society to grieve the loss of human life. We can only do that when we remove ourselves from tribalism and observe loss without a filter." (Dee Wilson)
ROSE PETALS
Written by Terrell Wilson (BMI)
© 2017 Common Hymnal Digital (BMI), The Wilson Songbook Publishing (BMI) (admin by IntegratedRights.com). CCLI 7130036.
VERSE 1
A E/G#
The blood of my brother was spilled on the street
D/F# E
He was the rose that grew out of the concrete
Bmin A E/G#
The same ground where his body lay
A/C# F#min
Like rose petals on a stony grave
Esus
Why do we fear each other
E
From the lies of yesterday, I'll never know
CHORUS
A E/G#
But look at all these roses
D/F#
With petals on the ground
D E A
They called this one Mike Brown
D/F# G#/E A E/G#
I’m asking you to look at all these roses
D/F# Esus
With petals on the ground
D E A
They called this one Trayvon Martin
D/F# G#/E A E/G#
I’m asking you to look at all these roses
D/F#
With petals on the ground
D E A
They called this one Tyshawn Lee
D/F# G#/E A E/G#
I’m asking you to look at all these roses
D/F# Esus
With petals on the ground
D E A
It’s far too many for me
VERSE 2
A E/G#
The tears of my mother were spilled at his grave
D/F# E
She knows the cost the whole world could not repay
Bmin A E/G#
And when she should've felt our sympathy
A/C# F#min
All we told her is that her baby was guilty
Esus
Do we even have compassion
E
Do we even want to see, I'll never know
CHORUS 2
A E/G#
But look at all these roses
D/F#
With petals on the ground
D E A
They called this one Freddy Gray
D/F# G#/E A E/G#
I’m asking you to look at all these roses
D/F# Esus
With petals on the ground
D E A
They called this one Eric Garner
D/F# G#/E A E/G#
I’m asking you to look at all these roses
D/F#
With petals on the ground
D E A
They called this one Sandra Bland
D/F# G#/E A E/G#
I’m asking you to look at all these roses
D/F# Esus
With petals on the ground
D E A E/G# F#/A#
Every woman, every man
BRIDGE
Bmin A E/G# F#min
Sometimes I wonder, if you were more than a number
Bmin A E/G# F#sus Bmaj7
Would we ever see how beautiful and special and precious you were
Bmin Amaj7 E/G# F#min
Somebody told me, that if only, if only
Dmaj7 Dmin6
You would better decide, you would still be alive
CHORUS 3
But I’m asking you to
A E/G#
Look at all these roses
D/F# Esus
With petals on the ground
D E A
Like the ones from Sandy Hook
I’m asking you to
A E/G#
Look at all these roses
D/F# Esus
With petals on the ground
D E A
Cause they will change the story
In our history books
So while we can let's
A E/G# D/F# Esus
Look at all these roses, look at all these roses
D E A (E/G#-D/F#)
Look at all these roses with petals on the ground
I’m asking you to
A E/G# D/F# Esus
Look at all these roses, look at all these roses
D E A (E/G#-D/F#)
Look at all these roses with petals on the ground
D
I'm asking you to look at all these roses, look at all these roses A E/G#-D/F#
Look at all these roses with petals on the ground
A
I'm asking you to
E/G# D/F# Esus
Look at all these roses, look at all these roses
D E A (E/G#-D/F#)
Look at all these roses with petals on the ground
A
I'm asking you to
E/G# D/F# (Emin11-A9)
Look at all these roses, say a prayer for all these roses
D E A (E/G#-D/F#)
Shout and march for all the roses with petals on the ground
A
I'm asking you to
A/G D/F# Dmin/F
Look at all these roses, look at all these roses
Esus E A
Look at all these roses with petals on the ground
VERSE 3
A G#/E
The blood of my brother was spilled on the street
D/F# E Dmaj7
He was the rose that grew out of the concrete
More Songs Written By Terrell Wilson (Dee Wilson)
Often times the hardest part of writing lyrics stems from a wrestling match between the artist and a truth they have yet to fully grasp. And then, there is Rose Petals. A song created from a reality so known, so deeply ingrained into the fiber of your life that the struggle becomes presenting the truth in a loving and unoffending way.
That is impossible.
I usually say I was angry when Rose Petals was written, but that is not completely true. I was heartbroken too. The brother of a really good friend had recently passed - gunned down leaving a party. Along with what felt like the new trendy accessory: black bodies adorning city streets and sidewalks.
I sat in my in-law’s basement not knowing how to exercise my emotion. Not knowing what would come out. I don’t know how long it took to pen the first line. But I remember what it felt like when the light bulb came on. I was reminded of a poem by the great Tupac Shakur, “The rose that grew from concrete”. A stunning visual. I knew that was the imagery I needed not just for the opening line, “The blood of my brother was spilled on the street. He was the rose that grew out of the concrete.”, but for the entire song.
From there the words spilled out. Along with tears. Firmly rooted in the imagery of precious life lost, taken, disregarded and made into props for a political blame game. It was hard to remain in neutral, because it’s very simple to turn anger into snarkiness and sharp comments. Especially, if words are your tool of choice. But the best chance of this song reaching as far as it can, is to keep the focus on humanity. The image of God laying lifeless in the street. To me that sight is undeniably wrong and should be seen removed completely from commentary and spin.
If you were to see a dozen roses suddenly dropped without warning, petals spread on the ground. You likely wouldn’t look for a person to blame - much less blame the roses themselves. You would observe, feel and respond to what you see. Even if it’s just “oh that’s too bad”. Life is too precious, blood is too precious, the human form is too precious for us to see it and create a narrative around what we see instead of weeping and asking God for mercy.
My hope is that you hear this song while laying down your blinders and removing yourself from your tribe.