Pretty Little Dead Girl

"**Pretty Little Dead Girl**" is a song about Rose Marshall. It was written in 2004, well before the short stories that would be republished as Sparrow Hill Road were published in 2010 (the novel was published in 2014).

It can be listened to here.

## Lyrics

Source: http://seananmcguire.com/songbook.php?id=63

It’s a very sad story, it’s a very sad tale,

All about what can happen when your brake lines fail.

It’s the tale of Rose Marshall -- the sweetest sixteen --

And why you shouldn’t race at Sidewinder Ravine...

Let me tell you about Rose Marshall,

The sweetest girl that you’d ever see.

They always say that the good die young,

Well, she died back in fifty-three,

Kept her prom night date with the cemetery.

They used to call her ‘her Daddy’s darling’;

The people said she’d go pretty far.

She had the love of friends and family,

But little Rosie loved her car --

Used to fly through the night like a shooting star.

Now she’s a pretty little dead girl in a coup de ville,

And she’s looking for a drag race up on Dead Man’s Hill,

And if you’ve got a brain, boy, you’d better drive on by.

Because she looks real sweet and she smiles real nice,

But you’d better take some well-meant good advice:

If you race with Rose, then you’re probably gonna die.

No one’s really quite sure what happened;

None of the folks involved survived.

Three hours to prom and Rose got restless,

Said she was going for a drive.

It was the last time they saw her alive.

The sheriff said she’d been doing ninety

Along the edge of the ravine;

Two sets of tracks -- but here’s the strange thing --

The other car was never seen.

Whoever clipped Rose, well, they got away clean.

Now she’s a pretty little dead girl in a coup de ville,

And she’s looking for a drag race up on Dead Man’s Hill,

And if you want to live, boy, you’d better drive on by.

Because she doesn’t play by no natural laws --

Sure she’s a pretty little kitty, but this cat’s got claws,

And if you race with Rose, then you’re probably gonna die.

‘bout three years later the stories started;

They say she’s out there on the hill.

They say she’s looking for a prom date.

So long dead and she’s sixteen still.

She never grew up and she never will.

Some people say that she’s just a legend;

Some people say that she’s something more.

Here’s what I know: when Rose gets restless,

She still puts the pedal through the floor,

And her boyfriends don’t come home no more --

SPOKEN (Rosette #1):
Sam Harris was a good man. Real sweet. Real compassionate. A genuine boy scout of the highest order.
That’s why he was coming to pick me up from the diner that night. Guess he was real worried about me,
because he took that shortcut up along Sidewinder, even though I’d told him not to, even though I told
him I didn’t mind a little wait...Sam Harris was a good man. And now he's a dead one.

If you get in her way then she’ll ask you to race her,

It’s like a shot of ‘dumb idea’ with a ‘bad plan’ chaser,

‘Cause she’s a bat out of hell wearing patent leather shoes.

SPOKEN (Rosette #2):
When you got right down to it, Jimmy was always, without a doubt...Jimmy. A little sweet, a little stubborn,
and a whole lot sure that he knew what was good for him. ‘Don’t mess with the crazy ghost-girl up on Dead Man’s
Hill’, I said, and sure enough, the very next night...well. I guess a long fall off a steep cliff taught him
to listen to his girlfriend. Until he hit the bottom, anyway.

She’s not looking for a savior, she’s not looking for a ride,

And you shouldn’t go look for her if you’re not a suicide,

‘Cause it's been fifty years and nobody’s seen her lose.

SPOKEN (Rosette #3):
I guess Thomas got lucky. He went up to the hill looking for answers, and when he found them, he managed
to get away with his life. Yeah. Real lucky. He hasn’t left the house for almost fifteen years. Keeps
saying he knows too much. If that ghost talked to women, I’d tell her a thing or two. With a shotgun.

If you beat her in a race, well, she’ll give you her pink slip,

But if she beats you to the curve, then you’re in for a long trip,

‘Cause she's looking for a boyfriend who can dance the whole night through.

SPOKEN (Rosette #4):
Harry...was an idiot.

She’s a little out of date but she’s never out of style,

And she’ll lead you to your fate with a shimmy and a smile,

So if you feel like living, don’t let Rosie race with you.

Let me tell you about Rose Marshall --

Might be the last thing you’ll ever see.

They say some stories will never die,

Well, she died back in fifty-three,

Kept her prom night date with the cemetery.

She died back in fifty-three,

Kept her prom night date with the cemetery...

Pretty dead girl, pretty little dead girl.

Pretty dead girl, pretty little dead girl.

Pretty dead girl, pretty little dead girl.

Pretty little dead girl in a coup de ville.

## Notes

1. ↑ Sparrow Hill Road retconned this to 1952, but "two" doesn't rhyme with "cemetery", so the lyric was left unchanged.
2. ↑ Another inaccuracy, as Thomas was only housebound for nine years before being taken by the Crossroads.