Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Where The Wild Roses Grow: Guitar Chords

Learn to play "Where The Wild Roses Grow" on your guitar with our chord guide. This page provides everything you need to perform this song on the guitar, including lyrics integrated with chords, chord diagrams, and a key transposer to match your vocal range.

For easier playing, use our Simplify Chords feature to remove difficult chords like barre.

Chorus:
     Gm               Cm Gm
They call me The Wild Rose
       A#             D7
But my name was Elisa Day
         Gm                  Cm Gm
Why they call me it I do not know
       Gm         F   Gm
For my name was Elisa Day

          Gm                         A#
From the first day I saw her I knew she was the one
     Cm                     D7
She stared in my eyes and smiled
         Gm                        A#
For her lips was the color of the roses
      Cm                        D
They grew down the river, all bloody and wild

When he knocked on my door and entered the room
My trembling subsided in his sure embrace
He would be my first man, and with a careful hand
He wiped at the tears that ran down my face

Chorus:
They call me The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it, I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day

On the second day, I brought her a flower
She was more beautiful than any woman I've seen
I said, "Do you know where the wild roses grow
So sweet and scarlet and free?"

On the second day, he came with a single red rose
He said, "Give me your loss and your sorrow"
I nodded my head as I lay on the bed
If I show you the roses, will you follow?

Chorus:
They call me The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it, I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day

On the third day, he took me to the river
He showed me the roses and we kissed
And the last thing I heard was a muttered word
As he knelt above me with a rock in his fist

On the last day I took her where the wild roses grow
She lay on the bank, the wind light as a thief
And I kissed her goodbye, said, "All beauty must die"
And lent down and planted a rose between her teeth

Chorus:
They call me The Wild Rose
But my name was Elisa Day
Why they call me it, I do not know
For my name was Elisa Day
My name was Elisa Day
For my name was Elisa Day



You can simplify chords by removing barre

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Simplify chords by removing barre

Guitar Chord Diagrams

A#

Guitar chord A#

Cm

Guitar chord Cm

D

Guitar chord D

D7

Guitar chord D7

F

Guitar chord F

Gm

Guitar chord Gm

Here you can see detailed diagrams for each guitar chord used in the song. Utilize our key transposer to adjust the chords to a key that better fits your singing range. Simply select the desired key, and the chords throughout this page will update automatically, ensuring you can play and sing comfortably.

If you are also interested in learning how to play "Where The Wild Roses Grow" on the ukulele, check out the chords on our sister site: Ukulele Chords for "Where The Wild Roses Grow" by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Song List