[Verse 1]
White wood crosses in the gravel
Plastic flowers bleached by sun
Little teddy bear gone weathered
Names half-faded, almost gone
Somebody's boy in that curve there
Some mama's world in this ditch
A coffee cup tied to a fencepost
From a man on the night shift
[Chorus]
All these roadside roses
For the ones that never made it home
They left in a hurry
Now their jackets hang in empty closets alone
Every mile's a whispered story
Every turn could take a life
I ease off the gas and I say a prayer
For the ones who never made it to the other side
[Verse 2]
There's a hard hat nailed to a pine tree
Right before that old red barn
Probably kissed his kids at daybreak
Then he disappeared in the dark
There's a prom dress in a picture
Taped to a crooked sign
Young smile frozen in the flashbulb
Whole future stopped in time
[Chorus]
All these roadside roses
For the ones that never made it home
They left in a hurry
Now their jackets hang in empty closets alone
Every mile's a whispered story
Every turn could take a life
I ease off the gas and I say a prayer
For the ones who never made it to the other side
[Bridge]
We pass by like it won't be us (won't be us)
Till a taillight's all they see of love (all they see)
So I grip that wheel a little tighter
And thank God I'm going where I was
[Chorus]
All these roadside roses
For the ones that never made it home
They left over breakfast
Coffee cooling where their laughter used to roam
Every mile's a whispered story
Every turn could take a life
I slow it down and I say a prayer
For the ones who never made it
And the ones still driving through the night