A Good Year For The Roses

Album: George Jones with Love (1970)
Play Video
  • I can hardly bear the sight of lipstick
    On the cigarettes there in the ashtray
    Lyin' cold the way you left them
    But at least your lips caressed them while you packed
    And a lip print on a half-filled cup of coffee that you poured and didn't drink
    But at least you thought you wanted it, that's so much more than I can say for me

    It's been a good year for the roses
    Many blooms still linger there
    The lawn could stand another mowin'
    Funny, I don't even care
    When you turned and walked away
    And as the door behind you closes
    The only thing I know to say
    It's been a good year for the roses

    After three full years of marriage
    It's the first time that you haven't made the bed
    I guess the reason we're not talkin', there's so little left to say we haven't said
    While a million thoughts go runnin' through my mind, I find I haven't spoke a word
    And from the bedroom those familiar sounds of our one baby's cryin' goes unheard

    But what a good year for the roses
    Many blooms still linger there
    The lawn could stand another mowin'
    Funny, I don't even care
    And when you turned and walked away
    As the door behind you closes
    The only thing I know to say
    It's been a good year for the roses Writer/s: JERRY CHESNUT
    Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 2

  • Shaun from Wakefield, United KingdomI wonder if Jerry Chestnut,Elvis Costello and also George Jones were actually aware of the lyrics to this song.Jerry Chestnut unwittingly wrote one of the great comedy records of all time,concerning a man who is as happy to let his wife make the bed every single day for three years without having a go at doing it himself.On a strange note,their baby's crying is,to him a familiar sound,but it seems it can only be remedied by his wife because he clearly sees no mans role there.He is thinking to himself that he can get away with another days worth of growth on the lawn before he gets up off his backside to cut it, while his wife is packing to leave him.Tolerance must be his wife's middle name because how he has escaped waking up to see a bread knife sticking out of his chest is beyond me.
  • Steve from Salt Lake City, UtElvis pulls this song off so well! I truthfully didn't know it was a country song, but I heard it on one of my Dad's George Jones CD's and was shocked. Elvis can sing a very wide variety of songs and make them his own.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Mike Love of The Beach Boys

Mike Love of The Beach BoysSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist of The Beach Boys talks about coming up with the words for "Good Vibrations," "Fun, Fun, Fun," "Kokomo" and other classic songs.

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse Pop

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse PopSong Writing

Songs that seem to glorify violence against women are often misinterpreted - but not always.

The Police

The PoliceFact or Fiction

Do their first three albums have French titles? Is "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" really meaningless? See if you can tell in this Fact or Fiction.

Laura Nyro

Laura NyroSongwriting Legends

Laura Nyro talks about her complex, emotionally rich songwriting and how she supports women's culture through her art.