Lynn Anderson Never Promised You A: ‘Rose Garden’

Lynn Anderson became a household name in the year 1971, when she released her rendition of “Rose Garden”. Lynn Anderson was born in North Dakota in the year, 1947.

She would become one of the most recognizable country performers in the early ’70s. For instance, watch her perform (I Never Promised You A) “Rose Garden”!

Country singer-songwriter Joe South wrote this for his 1969 debut album, Introspect. It was covered by male artists like Freddy Weller, Billy Joe Royal, and Dobie Gray before Lynn Anderson made it an international crossover hit in 1971. Aside from peaking at #3 on the US Hot 100, it also topped the Country chart for five weeks.

“I never promised you a rose garden” is another way of saying “I never said it would be easy.” The singer encourages her lover to enjoy the good times in their relationship because the bad times are inevitable (“Along with the sunshine there’s gotta be a little rain sometime”).

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Lyrics to “Rose Garden”

I beg your pardon

I never promised you a rose garden

Along with the sunshine

There’s gotta be a little rain some time

When you take you gotta give so live and let live

Or let go oh-whoa-whoa-whoa

I beg your pardon

I never promised you a rose garden

 

I could promise you things like big diamond rings

But you don’t find roses growin’ on stalks of clover

So you better think it over

Well if sweet-talkin’ you could make it come true

I would give you the world right now on a silver platter

But what would it matter

So smile for a while and let’s be jolly

Love shouldn’t be so melancholy

Come along and share the good times while we can

 

I beg your pardon

I never promised you a rose garden

Along with the sunshine

There’s gotta be a little rain some time

 

I beg your pardon

I never promised you a rose garden

 

I could sing you a tune and promise you the moon

But if that’s what it takes to hold you

I’d just as soon let you go

But there’s one thing I want you to know

You better look before you leap, still waters run deep

And there won’t always be someone there to pull you out

And you know what I’m talkin’ about

So smile for a while and let’s be jolly

Love shouldn’t be so melancholy

Come along and share the good times while we can

 

I beg your pardon

I never promised you a rose garden

Along with the sunshine

There’s gotta be a little rain some time,

I beg your pardon

I never promised you a rose garden

1971… “Rose Garden”

Look at her perform more recently!

Amazing, here’s one more of her song, “I’ve Been Everywhere”

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