What does Bed of Roses mean?

Bon Jovi: Bed of Roses Meaning

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Album cover for Bed of Roses album cover

Song Released: 1993


Bed of Roses Lyrics

Sitting here wasted and wounded
at this old piano
Trying hard to capture
the moment this morning I don't know
'Cause a bottle of vodka
is still lodged in my head
And some blond gave me nightmares
I think that she's still in my bed
As I...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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    Apr 25th 2009 !⃝

    I've listened to this song thousands of times, probably my favourite song of all time, and my interpretation of it is a bit different from some others on here. I agree with the piano thing, that sounds plausible, but it's obviously a guy waking up with a stinking hangover. He's away from home a lot, hence the 'I'm so far away, each step that I take's on my way home. A king's ransom in dimes I'd give each night to see through this pay phone' and clearly misses his wife. But he's managed to help the pain of being alone by sleeping with some blonde one night stand. I don't see any hidden meaning here, just some rat-bastard guy feeling guilty about doing the horizontal mamba with some easy lay. Yeah it's a love song, but with some very dubious undertones. And that's why I love it. If I'm wrong please don't tell me, or else you might ruin the whole song for me.

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    filly
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    Jul 18th 2005 !⃝

    I Love this song. In Vh1's Storytellers before playing this song Bon Jovi had said that this song was written in a hotel suit. He had asked the hotel for a piano in his room and after all that effort he had gone out insteed of writting a song, so in the morning Bon Jovi feeling bad had sat down with a hang over and wrote this song hence "Sitting here wasted and wounded at this old piano"

    It's a beautiful song, I love it.

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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    Jan 13th 2009 !⃝

    I've listened to this song several times and have comee to the conclusion that he is having an affair and his wife found out and she has decided that she needs space from him, so he sleeps with his blond mistress to ease his pain of having not being able to be with his wife. He wakes up with a hangover and all that comes with it. He said he'd spend a kings ransom just to see her. When he says he wants to lay her down on a bed of roses i think he means he wants to soften or ease he pain by treating her better. He's hurting therefore he is sleeping on a bed of nails. He says he'd defend her no matter what. He loves his wife and just has a mistress to pass time thouh he knows where his heart lies. He admits that he doesn't understand life and trust and love... This is a song meant for a true love that he realises he had and never recognised

  4. anonymous
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    Feb 23rd 2020 !⃝

    What does the blonde mean?

  5. NanaAVR
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    May 26th 2017 !⃝

    I absolutely love this song! I think the first stanza of this song speaks to a previous night that got out of control and now he is trying to make sense of it & feels guilty. The vodka & the blond (who could be literal) may just be used to express reckless behavior. He knows he's messed up bad and being away all the time makes it hard to make up for mistakes. I think the lyric "blind love is true" means that until his confession his loved one could believe only good things about him because she didn't know about the bad stuff. She is guiltless so he puts her on a bed of roses. He however, isn't so he sleeps with his choices, the bed of nails. His "mistress" is his job. "Tonight, I won't be alone(the mass of fans who come every night) you know that don't mean I'm not lonely" means even with thousands of people he feels alone because he can't be with who he really wants to be with.
    No matter what it's a beautiful song! Thanks for the honesty Jon!

  6. anonymous
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    Jun 17th 2016 !⃝

    He loved someme so dearly but failed 2 provide for that person's need when he could. Perhaps his failure lead to d death of his loved one as such he laced wit coctail of wine vodka 2 ease him of his guilt, but d memory is fresh thou he's got company.

  7. anonymous
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    Nov 13th 2013 !⃝

    He explains the song as a "confessional" in this video:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg9X3nJAKBg

  8. anonymous
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    Nov 24th 2012 !⃝

    Well I've listened to this song so many times & i believe the " story " behind it is that the woman he loves dies. & while he is a rockstar & "living the dream" he misses her. He misses her soo much that he gets drunk & sleeps with this blonde he mentions in the song. The line " i wont be alone but you know that dont mean im not lonely " is saying that just because his sleeping with the blonde girl doesnt mean he loves her. To sum this all up is just simply saying that he truely loves the person he is dedicating the song too.This song has alot of meanings. And that is why i Love this song soo much.

  9. anonymous
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    Apr 4th 2012 !⃝

    I have listened to Bed Of Roses many times and thanks to my literature class I figured out this song is about a rock star who is always on the road and him missing his loved one. He gets wasted and has a literal mistress which is the norm. Being on the piano signifies pain as with most musicians the piano is an emotional instrument. Just look at Elton John. So from the title the main theme is putting his wife in a bed of roses which is simply an easy life. Why do I say so? Keep The Faith, the album Bed Of Roses is on, was released in 1992 which was an economically hard time in the US. If you listen to the whole album and consider songs like In These Arms, Dry County and I Want You, you will notice Bed Of Roses is part of the concept of the album. In short, the song is personal hence meaning while Jon is always on the road he gets lonely despite the mistress and at the end of the day is working tirelessly just for his wife. The guy is saying he loves his girl but in this way. I love it.

  10. anonymous
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    Mar 25th 2012 !⃝

    I've never really understood this song until recently. I think it's from a man who has given up someone he loves deeply so that she could live a peaceful life (bed of roses) that he could not provide (his life is a bed of nails and he didn't want to bring her into that). So he continues to live out on the surface (blonde, mistress, hangovers) and he doesn't really give a damn (bartender line, movies they won't make of him), but no matter what the woman he really loves, or anyone else thinks, he knows that he truly loves her, and he knows how his decision may have hurt her or be misjudged by people who don't understand why he left (I've got nothing to prove for its you that I'd die to defend).

  11. anonymous
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    Feb 19th 2012 !⃝

    I love the way roses were mixed in the song. It comes to me like he's with someone in a bed of roses, part sweet and romantic, and the other is painful for him to be doing it. I guess it sounds shallow but I just love the way it was blended, and if you think real deep about it, it does make sense.

  12. anonymous
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    Jan 2nd 2012 !⃝

    ok pretty much he got drunk the night before and got laid without knowing but he is showing his love is true by writing his guilt/love in a song...roses meaning eternal love hencing happiness in ones life and a bed thats mainly use for resting so to make it up to her he wants to lay her down in a bed of roses... he is willing to pay for wat he did and one tends to feel lonely wen far away from his love and so that over-powered him while unconscious makin the blonde on his bed so as he had the vodka poundin on his head he had the piano and wrote everythin that happened probably no more than 12 hrs before....the mistress is his job which is causin the long distance hencin the loneliness that lead to the horrible guilt in the morning....i love bon jovi!!!sexy at no matter what age!!!

  13. anonymous
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    Nov 13th 2011 !⃝

    The mistress is his music, being on the road and in the spotlight. He loves his wife and wants to be home with her, but instead is staying in hotels. I feel like he wrote it at a point in his travels where he was feeling lonely, prob had an affair and felt guilty, and felt as if he was neglecting his wife. Like she deserved more.

  14. anonymous
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    Nov 5th 2011 !⃝

    Well i've listened to this song countles of times and first I thought it was about him loving someone else, from the verse "Now as you close your eyes
    Know I'll be thinking about you
    While my mistress she calls me
    To stand in her spotlight again
    Tonite I won't be alone
    But you know that don't
    Mean I'm not lonely I've got nothing to prove
    For it's you that I'd die to defend" and that infact he seen his 'wife' the woman he was married too but not in love with was his mistress, and he actually was truly in love with some other woman that he could not be with.

    However reading everyone elses comments has well, changed my view.

    Still a beautiful song though.

  15. anonymous
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    Oct 25th 2011 !⃝

    I love this song long ago but I just focused my full attention about it's meaning.

    My interpretation I guess is it's about a rockstar who are are living away from home and his love one with a life wrap by vodka, music and false pleasure (Mistress). But his love remain to his wife that no matter how he amuse himself, he just miss him.

  16. anonymous
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    Oct 2nd 2011 !⃝

    I love this song and I am just beginning to understand its meaning. Does anyone know where I can find the interviews in which Jon talks about this song and the woman in the bed?

  17. anonymous
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    May 4th 2011 !⃝

    The blond is his guitar, the mistress is his music....he wrote this as a confession that he loves his work but his wife too.

    I still think he was unfaithful at times...but the song is not about that

  18. anonymous
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    Aug 13th 2009 !⃝

    i believe it is about a rockstar, who lives most of his life on the road and lives far away from home.
    Whilst always drinking he is always thinking about his long distance relationship with his wife that he loves.

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