So You're Looking for Roses by The Chainsmokers
The song came out in August 2015 and it blew up pretty fast. ROZES did the vocals on the original version, which is a different take than the later radio mix where Andrew Taggart handles more of the lead. If you're digging up the lyrics, you might notice different versions floating around depending on which mix you're listening to. The core verses are the same but some wordings shift slightly between the original and the remix that got heavy rotation. Here is the actual breakdown of what happens in the track. It opens with that synth line, ROZES comes in with "I'm giving you my roses" and the whole thing builds from there. The chorus hits with the familiar "I'm giving you my roses, I'm giving you all of my roses" and it loops into the drop. The second verse gets a little different melodic phrasing but the lyrical content stays pretty consistent throughout. I spent a while trying to nail down the exact lyric transcription when I was putting together a karaoke set for a friend's birthday. You'd think this would be straightforward. It isn't. The problem is that Andrew Taggart's delivery in the verses runs certain phrases together in a way that makes standard lyric sites either guess wrong or leave out syllables entirely. I ran into this specifically with the line that goes something like "I know that you've been hurtin'" — multiple lyric databases had it split as "I know that you have been hurtin'" which changes the rhythm when you're actually trying to sing along.
The workaround was simple once I figured it out. I just pulled the stems from the original mix, slowed them to 0.75x speed, and transcribed it that way. Takes longer but you catch every mumble and breath. The official chart lyrics aren't always going to match how the words actually sit in the mix. Common mistake people make: A lot of lyric sites conflate the ROZES original vocal with the Chainsmokers radio edit. If you're searching for "Roses lyrics" you'll get pages that are mixing two different recordings. Check who is credited as the vocalist at the top. If it doesn't say ROZES, you're probably looking at the wrong transcription. The melodies in the pre-chorus are noticeably different between the two versions.
How the Song Is Structured
It follows a pretty standard EDM/pop structure but the bridge section is where things get interesting. The instrumental break drops out most of the vocal elements and leaves just that synth hook carrying the melody. When the vocals come back in, ROZES hits a higher register than in the verses, which is why certain lyric sites botch the vowel sounds — they're writing what they expect to hear rather than what's actually there. The outro fades with a repeated refrain that cuts off mid-phrase, which is another source of frustration for people trying to get complete lyrics. Some sites just invent words to fill the gap. They shouldn't. The track ends on an unresolved chord progression and the vocal just trails off. That's it.
Get the Full Details
Where to Find Accurate Versions
The most reliable source I've found is the official Genius annotation page, which has community corrections threaded through it. Not perfect but better than the major aggregator sites. The Musixmatch version has gained a lot of accuracy over the years through its in-app corrections feature. If you catch a wrong line while using the app, you can submit a fix and it usually goes through within a day or two. For actual audio reference while you're reading, play the original Spotify or Apple Music release and match it against the lyrics rather than trusting a static page. The live performances sometimes stretch or skip sections entirely, so stick to the studio version if accuracy matters to you.
