bed of roses

Bed of Rose's was the title track to this 1971 Statler Brothers album.

Bed of Rose's was a hit song for the country music vocal group the Statler Brothers. The song, written by bass singer Harold Reid, reached its popularity peak in the winter of 1971, eventually reaching the Top 10 of the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart.

It is the story of a young man who was raised by a prostitute named Rose. As such, he is the subject of disdain by the "polite" members of society in the small town (possibly modeled after the Statlers' hometown of Staunton, Virginia) in which the events of the song occur. He is embittered by their hypocrisy, remarking that they would "go to church and leave me in the street", implying that what Rose had done for him was far more important than their alleged Christianity, and implied that they secretly envied her, who "managed a late evening business / Like most of the town wished they could do."

The name, like some of the other Statler Brothers works, is a play on words of a common English idiom "Bed of Roses", meaning an easy and pleasant life.

The song is featured on the soundtrack of the game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and is on the K-Rose radio station in the game.

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