Category Archives: Because I Can

The song is set at a roadside tavern and is told from the viewpoint of a young man who buys a paper rose from an elderly female vendor. Shortly thereafter, he hears the ringing of church bells and choir voices and realizes a funeral is taking place nearby. When he hears the choir singing “Paper Rosie,” he realizes that the funeral is for the woman who’d just sold him the rose. The song suggests that it was actually the spirit of the woman who sold him the paper flower.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_Rosie

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Watson