"Faded is the crimson from the ribbons that she wore..."

The Annotated "It Must Have Been the Roses"

An installment in The Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics.
By David Dodd
Library, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (The opinions expressed are those of the author, not of the University of Colorado.) Copyright notice; © 1995,1996, David Dodd
"It Must Have Been the Roses"
Words and music by Robert Hunter
Copyright Ice Nine Publishing; used by permission.

Annie layed her head down in the roses
She had ribbons, ribbons, ribbons
in her long brown hair
I don't know, it must have been the roses
All I know is I could not leave her there

I don't know, it must have been the roses
The roses or the ribbons in her long brown hair
I don't know maybe it was the roses
All I know was I could not leave her there

Ten years the waves rolled the
ships home from the sea
Thinking well how it may blow
in all good company
if I tell another what
your own lips told to me
may I lay neath the roses
and my eyes no longer see

I don't know, it must have been the roses
The roses or the ribbons in her long brown hair
I don't know maybe it was the roses
All I know was I could not leave her there

One pane of glass in the window
No one is complaining though,
come in and shut the door
Faded is the crimson from the
ribbons that she wore
and it's strange how no one
comes round anymore

I don't know, it must have been the roses
The roses or the ribbons in her long brown hair
I don't know maybe it was the roses
All I know was I could not leave her there

Annie layed her head down in the roses
She had ribbons, ribbons, ribbons
in her long brown hair
I don't know, it must have been the roses
All I know was I could not leave her there

I don't know, it must have been the roses
The roses or the ribbons in her long brown hair
I don't know maybe it was the roses
All I know was I could not leave her there


"It Must Have Been the Roses"

Recorded on

First performance: February 22, 1974, at the Winterland Arena in San Francisco. "Roses" appeared in the first set, between "Mexicali Blues" and "Black Throated Wind." Other firsts in the show included "U.S. Blues" and "Ship of Fools."


Keywords: @rose, @crimson, @ship
DeadBase code: [ROSE]
First posted: June 25, 1996
Last revised: