The ToneWay® Project: helping people play music

Give Me the Roses [core]

Wonderful things of folks are said
When they have passed away
Roses adorn the narrow bed
Over the sleeping clay

Chorus
Give me the roses while I live
Trying to cheer me on
Useless are flowers that you give
After the soul is gone

Praises are heard not by the dead
Roses they cannot see
Let us not wait till souls have fled
Generous friends to be

Faults are forgiven when folks lie
Cold in the narrow bed
Let us forgive them ere they die
Now should the words be said

Available in these books:

Get Started Plus:
Core Songs Edition
100 songs and our acclaimed play-by-ear learning method.
Big Print Songs
Over 200 songs.
Both books feature large-print lyrics (20-point type) and include chords, historical info, jamming hints, and more.

...and on these CDs:

Five CDs, 100 songs. Recordings from the Abbott family and their friends.
Listen to sample tracks.

The MP3 collection has all 100 songs on one CD for a discount. See details.


A song from the Mountain Music for Everyone Song Collection from the ToneWay Project. Our website has lyrics to nearly 400 traditional songs common in bluegrass and old-time circles. Most songs also include a free MP3 recording that you can listen to. The ToneWay Project also offers songbooks, CDs, and resources for learning to play music by ear. http://ToneWay.com