Aretha Franklin

Released: February 10, 1998

Featuring: Lauryn Hill

Songwriter: Lauryn Hill

Producer: Lauryn Hill

[Intro]
Listen, dear
I realise that you've been hurt, deep
Because I've been there
But regardless to who, what, why, when and where
We're all precious in his sight
And a rose is still, and always will be, a rose

Doo doo doo doo doo doo mmm
Dooby dooby doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo doo mmm

[Verse 1]
There was a rose I knew, I done met her once or twice before
She was a pretty sweet thing, not the least bit insecure
Then you came with your slick game and played with her youth
Unashamed of the way you lied and played with the truth, hey hey
She never knew what hit her, oh
Steal her honey, then forget her
Now the rose is scorned
She wears a thorn, tryin' to forget about you

[Chorus]
'Cause a rose is still a rose
Baby girl, you're still a flower
He can't leave you and then take you
Make you and then break you
Darlin', you hold the power (what I am is what I am)

[Verse 2]
Now believe me when I tell you that I've been hurt myself
When he tells you that he loves you, it's you, nobody else
And now you're so tough, tryin' to wear tight clothes and things
Tossin' and flossin', tryin' to fill the void heartbreak brings
Oh, oh, yeah
When she gets nearer
She's cryin', you can't hear her
Now the rose is scorned
She wears a thorn, tryin' to forget about you

[Chorus]
'Cause a rose is still a rose
Baby girl, you're still a flower
He can't leave you and then take you
Make you and then break you
Baby girl, you hold the power (what I am is what I am)

[Chorus]
See, a rose is still a rose
Baby girl, you're still a flower
He can't leave you and then take you
Make you and then break you
Darlin', you hold the power (what I am is what I am)

[Bridge]
Let your life be in the sunshine
Not the darkness of your sorrow
You may see you're lost today
But new love will come tomorrow
Don't believe that life is over
Just because your man is gone
Girl, love yourself enough to know
That without him, your life goes on
Without him, your life goes on
And without him, your life goes on

[Chorus]
'Cause a rose is still a rose
Baby girl, you're still a flower
He can't leave you and then take you
Make you and then break you
Baby girl, you hold the power (what I am is what I am)

[Chorus]
See, a rose is still a rose
Baby girl, you're still a flower
He can't leave you and then take you
Make you and then break you
Darlin', you hold the power (what I am is what I am)

Aretha Franklin is both a 20th and 21st century musical and cultural icon known simply by her first Aretha. She is the reigning and undisputed “Queen Of Soul” with a legacy that spans five decades. A native of Detroit, Michigan, Aretha began her career singing gospel at her father, minister C. L. Franklin’s church as a child. In 1960, at the age of 18, Aretha embarked on a secular career, recording for Columbia Records with modest success.

After moving to Atlantic Records in 1967, she released a steady string of US top ten hits through 1973 including “Spanish Harlem”, “Chain Of Fools”, “Baby I Love You”, “Since You’ve Been Gone”, “Daydreaming”, “The House That Jack Built”, “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", ”Think“ and her first chart-topper “Respect” – a song that also won Aretha her first of 18 Grammys. During this time, several of her songs were also successful overseas.

By the mid-70s, Aretha’s commercial success waned and she left Atlantic for Clive Davis' Arista Records in 1980. Her 1982 song “Jump to It,” returned her to the top 40 for the first time in six years. 1985’s Who’s Zoomin' Who? got her back into the top 10 twice with its title track and “Freeway Of Love”. Four more songs reached the top 40 through 1986.

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A Rose Is Still a Rose

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A Rose Is Still a Rose (1998)

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A Rose Is Still a Rose