Little Rosa

Little Rosa was her name

And still I cried in vain

My world won't be the same

Since she's gone from me

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

And as I walked through the graveyard

I noticed this man kneeling down by the grave of a child

In his hand he held a big red rose

And the tears they 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, "Mister, I'm a walking down the street today

And I pass-a by this big-a flower shop

I goes in and I ask-a the man in the shop

I said, "Boss, how much-a for one red rose?"

And he looked at me with one big frown and he said

"One dollar please"

But by and by a swell dressed blonde young lady walked in

And she asked, "How much-a for one red rose?"

And he looked at her with one big smile and he said, "Ten cents"

I said, "Boss, how come you charging me a dollar for the rose

And you only charging the young lady ten cents?"

He said, "Look-a mister, you tell me why you want the rose

And maybe I give it to you for naught"

I said, "Boss, I'm a hard working man

I work on the railroad and only make-a three dollar a day

And I've got a little girl and her name is Rosa

Rosa is only about this-a high, boss

Every day I come home from work

Little Rosa would come running to me and papa

She'd throw her little arms around my neck and say, "Papa"

And I would say, "Rosa"

But one day I come home from work and I don't see my little Rosa

I look down by the railroad track and I see one big crowd

I goes down and I push-a the crowd this-

A way and I push-a the crowd that-a way

And there, boss, at my feet lay my little Rosa

So you see, boss, I wanted that rose to put on Rosa's grave

The man, he don't say naught

But he picked the biggest and the reddest rose