The Red Rose and the Briar

Lyrics

[Intro] Two, three, four [Verse 1] Midweek and we reached Scarlet Town I was almost dying of thirst We parked the car in some old schoolyard The windscreen caked in dirt There was no water in the engine left No tread upon the tyres The electrics were broke 'cause you went mad You ripped out all the wires [Verse 2] Across the road, a small cafe In this state of disrepair You went for papers and a shave So I saved you a chair I knew it wasn't the journey's end And that your dream was incomplete But I just could not stand any more I was dead upon my feet I was dead upon my feet [Chorus] There's nothing there in the market square But the ghost of the Scarlet Town Crier I was dead upon my feet I sing the red rose and the briar I sing the red rose and the briar [Verse 3] The waitress told me her life story She'd always meant to up and go She wiped a cup on her red pinafore As we waited for you to show And I told her just a little of you But left the picture incomplete You still weren't there to paint it in person So I skipped out on the street I skipped out on the street [Verse 4] The newsagent grinned, he said that you'd been in You bought a local paper and some shades And the washroom attendant said that you'd freshened up That you'd left but you hadn't paid And I couldn't figure out where you were So I went back to look near the car There's nothing there where it should have been Just oil on dirt and tar Just oil on dirt and tar [Chorus] There's nothing there in the market square But the ghost of the Scarlet Town Crier And there's nothing there where it should have been I sing the red rose and the briar I sing the red rose and the briar [Verse 5] I saw it parked way down the street In a garage off on the right And a man said, "Get your hands off, son I just traded that wreck for a motorbike" There was nothing left of mine inside Not even the broken radio And I couldn't figure out where that left me So I went back to look for Rose [Verse 6] The Cafe Rouge was a lunchtime rush Of regulars yelling for food And service in there left a lot to be desired All the regulars were getting rude I saw an apron thrown over a chair A note said, "Hey John, we're gone, we're gone" And I just smiled 'cause I loved you both So I put the apron on I put the apron on [Chorus] Still nothing there in the market square But the ghost of the Scarlet Town Crier And I just put the apron on I sing the red rose and the briar I sing the red rose and the briar I sing the red rose and the briar I sing the red rose and the briar [Outro] In Scarlet Town where I was born There was a fair maid dweller Oh, the color of her hair was brown And her name And her name was And her name was