2025 Competition Entry:

Ballad of Johnnie Rose by Bobby Shine

Genre

Folk

Artist

Website

Co-writer(s)

no

Performer(s)

Just me.

Description

I had a best friend/girl friend when I was 12. It was my first true heart break. Never knew what happened to her.

Bio

Lyrics

The Ballad of Johnnie Rose.

Written and performed by
Bobby Shine.




Born in cold
Green eyes and babies toes
Angel hair, second hand clothes
Mama’s gonna hold you tight

Raised with Love
In between the push and shove
Those stars above
Take away your pain tonight


Chorus 1:
They named her Johnnie Rose
Green Eyes and a button nose
Your future’s lookin’ hard and bright

We were twelve years old
Never doin what our mama’s told
Stay away as days unfold
Hold you in my arms tonight

Boys just stare
Untied ribbon in her hair
We’re gonna run somewhere
Tween the darkness and the light

Chorus 2:
They call her Johnnie Rose
Green eyes and muddy clothes
We’re gettin outta here tonight

Bridge 1:
Rocks tap on my window and I
Sat shakin in my bed and I just cried
I wanted to go did I lie?
All’s quiet out that windowpane I stared
She never looked back, never called my name
I knew right then I’d never be the same

Pocket full o’ pills
Unpaid motel bills
Rain or shine
She gonna do her time
With the creepers of the night

Mama don’t call
Blood stained mirror on the wall
She got that skin that crawls
Keepin her up day and night

Chorus 3:
Where is Johnnie Rose?
Red eyes and a bloody nose
Who’s it gonna be tonight

Bridge 2:
Hand n hand
We’d run through the fields where it began we’d
Plan and plan
A broken shoelace I used as our childhood wedding band

Here lies Johnnie Rose
A girl that no one knows
Born in cold
Never growin’ old
See you in my dreams tonight

Leave a comment