Crude boy saw a tiny new
Rosebud in the heather,
During the first two lines, when the boy is noticing the rosebud in the heather, the music is bouncing around, pleasant and innocent, as if the boy has no ulterior intentions.
Young as dawn and fresh as dew;
The naïveté of the music continues until the word "fresh", which is the first mention of the rose's chasteness. It is at this point when the music dabbles in the minor mode and the voice becomes a bit uneasy.
Ran straight up and stooped to view,
There is a deliberateness in the voice, and strong major chords on the upbeats imply that the character is eager and after something.
Filled his eyes with pleasure,
The voice seems overcome with passion and desire. As the stepwise passage of sixteenth note is sung it feels like the character is floating down from a cloud of elation. Overall this phrase feels like love song being sung from afar, and the rose cannot hear it being sung. This longing still carries an air of innocence with it.
Rosebud, rosebud, little red rose
An ascending scale and a glorious affirmation that it is this rose that he desires.
Rosebud in the heather.
As the music falls down from the high G to the low G, the character also seems to be falling down from his cloud of passions. The voice is calm and assuring as the character falls back into reality, in which he will pursue the rose.
Said the boy, "I will pick you,
Rosebud in the heather".
The increased volume, vigor and enunciation in the voice exemplify the character's shameless and confident declaration that he will have the rose.
Rose replied, "Then I'll stick you,
The voice almost responds to itself in a different tone that is much more anxious, as it begins to characterize the rose speaking. The voice seems to grace each note without letting it ring out, as if trying to run away while singing.
Let my sharp thorns run you through,
You will not forget me, ever!"
The tone of the voice changes almost to say "don't you have any pity on me? I am merely a rose". This seems to embody a deliberate contradiction between the text which is angry and the voice which is heartbreaking - this is also a characteristic that many women embody when they are being sly in argumentative situations.
Rosebud, rosebud, little red rose
Rosebud in the heather.
Almost in direct response, the voice of the boy comes back in to reassure. This time, the text seems directed at the rose not as a love song but in a way that says: "Rosebud, rosebud, little rose, don't you see? You are naïve and I am going to have you no matter what". It is almost as if he is speaking this portion in his head, as if to say "you don't know this now, but you will later...".
So the rough boy ripped the little rose,
Rosebud in the heather,
The voice is loud and tension is building as the voice links and draws out each syllable and seems to sway back and forth between each note, growing and growing, without taking a single breathe! This commotion personifies the boy beginning to rape the rose.
Though she pricked, he held her close,
The voice remains loud and powerful, as if the vocalist, as a third person narrator, cannot believe what is happening.
Though she cried, the poor little rose,
Made no difference for her,
The voice, still strong and powerful, takes on an apologetic tone. The vocalist seems to be crying out for this injustice that he is witnessing.
Rosebud, rosebud, little red rose
In what still seems like the voice of the narrator, the vocalist reflects on the events that have just happened in a sad, faint, and quiet tone. The ascending scale, previously sung gloriously, is now sung with despair and forlorn.
Rosebud in the heather.
Finally, the voice jumps back into the character of the boy for one final phrase. Content with himself for what he has just accomplished (rape), the music becomes happy and bouncy in a major mode once more. The boy walks away, whistling to himself, as he goes off to resume his day.
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