[Verse 1] I tied the stems of a dozen roses to the fence behind the corner store so they wouldn’t tip over in the wind or get knocked loose by a bus door The clerk came out with a paper cup said, “You leaving those for somebody?” I said, “Not yet, just making them stay” like they had somewhere to be They leaned there bright against chain-link red sleeves on a wire coat rack kids on their bikes slowed down to stare then rode off laughing, looking back [Pre-Chorus] It’s a small kind of mercy to keep something upright when the afternoon is rough and nobody’s got time [Chorus] So I tie the stems, tie the stems keep them from hitting the ground tie the stems, tie the stems in a place where they can hold their own Not every thing that’s lovely gets to stand up straight some of us need a hand some of us need a fence [Verse 2] By six, the light went thin and gray coffee cups stacked by the register the roses sagged a little lower like they’d worked a double shift themselves A woman with groceries in both arms stopped and touched one careful petal said her mother used to wrap blooms in old newspaper from the kitchen table I thought about my own front room the jar with the chipped blue edge how I keep things near the window so I don’t forget they’re there [Pre-Chorus] There’s a kind of staying you don’t learn from books just a knot between your fingers and a reason to look [Chorus] So I tie the stems, tie the stems keep them from hitting the ground tie the stems, tie the stems in a place where they can hold their own Not every thing that’s lovely gets to stand up straight some of us need a hand some of us need a fence [Bridge] Maybe that’s all love is sometimes a hook, a wire, a steadying thumb a bright thing held through weather while the traffic keeps coming on No grand speech, no trumpet line just me with my cheap red ribbon and a little corner of sidewalk where nothing gets left behind [Final Chorus] So I tie the stems, tie the stems let them breathe against the cold tie the stems, tie the stems let them keep their color and their shape If the world keeps pushing sideways I’ll still make a place for one small bunch of roses to stand up anyway [Outro] I tied the stems of a dozen roses to the fence behind the corner store and for one long hour they looked like they belonged
