mr frankie diamond was my best friend

we were partners in a business down on c & 7th

nothin' ever got this good brother down

he was a real live wire in an electric town

frankie started hangin' with an uptown girl

a harlem lady in the social whirl

on saturday night he'd put on his best clothes

and go out steppin' with his black rose



now frankie went upstate for a couple of years

a guest of the nation and he was in tears

he called me up, he said "hey friend of mine

i got one favour to ask ya while i'm doin' my time



she's the queen of new york city

she bewitch all men soul

she the blood that flow right through me

so don't be messin' with my black rose

keep your hands off my black rose"



my black rosie, he don't own ya...



while frankie was upstate, his harlem girl

continued to spiral in her social whirl

so i paged her from my gig on east 7th

i said, "hey, babe, you doin' anythin' roundabout 11?"

she said "uh-uh" in her uptown voice

so we met at beiruit for cocktails and ice

when she crossed that room in her tight red dress

i wasn't thinkin' of frankie, I have to confess



she said "hey, best friend, let's go back to my place

i need to fix my mascara and remodel my face"

but it rained on the way back to her house

and when she closed the door she took off her blouse



she's the queen of new york city

she bewitch all men soul

next thing i know i'm whisperin' sweet nothin's

lyin' in bed with my black rose

i'm makin' love to my black..

my black rosie, he don't own ya

so stay with me tonight...



at nights i'd lie there and listen to her breathe

with the sweat on my brow, how could she sleep?

so deep, so sweet as calm as a rock

while i pushed back the seconds oozing from the clock...

now the letters i wrote frankie returned unread

the word leaked out i'd be better off dead

but in the crimson dawn, black rose would unfold

and drain all the poison from my soul...

drain me rosie...



now i'm standin' up here on forty deuce

another terminal man waitin' for his bus

here come frankie with his head all shaved

is that a piece in his pocket, or is it a blade?

now i'm lyin' face down in the terminal dirt

with a hole in my chest, but i don't feel no hurt

i don't wanna go to heaven, i been there before

just spent two years in paradise with my black rose...



she's the queen of New york city

she bewitch all men soul

when you go and find her body

bury me next to my black rose

still in love with my black rose

she's up in heaven now, my black rose

you won't be makin' love to my black...

my black rosie, he don't own ya...

so stay with me tonight, for the rest of your life...



roisin dhubh me no can get over you

a time is in me mind no matter what i do

roisin dhubh me no can get over you

now frankie comin' back and i know that i am through

mister frankie diamond tell me do the right thing

watch his girl while he away at sing sing

but me and rosie, we have a little fling

now frankie comin' home, wicked trouble it will bring...

wicked trouble it will bring...

lord have mercy