Roses by The Cranberries

Album: Roses (2012)

Get the Sheet Music License This Song

Songfacts®:

Cranberries lead singer Dolores O'Riordan wrote this song about her father, who was nearing the end of his life. The song came to her quite quickly. "My father was dying and he was very sick, so I found it easy to write," she told Songfacts. "When you're going through pain sometimes it's easy to write. 'Life is no garden of roses, more like a thistle in time.'"
O'Riordan's father became mentally disabled after getting in a bicycle accident in 1968, and in the mid-'00s, was diagnosed with cancer. He died in November 2011, a few months before the album was released.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

More Songfacts:

Run Through the JungleCreedence Clearwater Revival

The CCR song "Run Through the Jungle" is about gun control.

Shake It OffTaylor Swift

Taylor Swift's “Shake It Off” was inspired by how she'd learned to deal with all the false rumors that circulated about her. "The only thing we can control is our reaction to that ,” said Swift. "You can either let it get to you … [or] you just shake it off."

Down UnderMen at Work

Often heard as a patriotic song, "Down Under" is really about the selling of Australia and makes a strong political statement.

Try AgainAaliyah

Until December 5, 1998, a song had to be issued as a single to make the Hot 100. Aaliyah's "Try Again" was the first tune to top the chart based on airplay alone, without any sales figures being included.

AlrightJanet Jackson

Janet Jackson's "Alright" video features Cab Calloway and Cyd Charisse, stars of musicals she loved as a kid.

Baby LoveThe Supremes

When "Baby Love" reached the top spot, The Supremes became the first Motown act with two #1 hits on the Hot 100.