Little Rosa was her name and still I cry in vain
My world won't be the same since she's gone from me

I have gone to visit the grave of a friend of mine
And as I walked thru the grave yard I noticed this man kneeling down
By the grave of a child
And in his hand he held a big red rose and tears were streaming down his cheeks
I walked over and laid a hand on his shoulder and started to talk to him
And during the course of our conversation and in his broken English
This is the story just as he told it to me
He said to me Mister I've walked down the street on today
And I passed about the big flower shop
I walked in and I asked the man in the shop
I said boss how much is for one red rose
Then he looked at me with one bigger frown and he says it's one dollar please
But in a buyin' buyer was well dressed blonde lady walked in
And she says how much is for one red rose
And he looked at her with one bigger smile and he says it's ten cents
Now I said boss how come to you to charge me a dollar for the rose
And charged the young lady only ten cents
When he says look Mister you tell me why you want the rose
And maybe I give it to you for not
I said boss I'm a hard working man working a railroad
Only make a three dollar a day
And I got a little girl and her name was Rosa Rosa's just about this high boss
Every day when I'd come home from the work
A little Rosa come running to meet her papa
And she'd throw her little arms around my neck and say papa and I'd say Rosa
But one day boss I've come home from the work I don't see Rosa
I looked down the railroad track and I see one big crowd
I'd go down and I pushed the crowd this a way and pushed the crowd that a way
There boss at my feet lay my little Rosa and that's why I want the rose boss
I wanna put it on little Rosa's grave
Then man he didn't say not but he picked the biggest and the reddest rose
And he gave it to me
And I say thank you boss thank you very much

And though she's gone you see she's still the world to me
To me she'll always be that little girl of mine