When Rosie met Billy this ballad got born
Young and restless in a country at war
And their love gave birth to a chain of events

Rosie a farm girl and a beauty they say
Billy drove trucks till the war came of age
And their lives got entwined to the bitter and the worse

I'm sure there were happy times four babies got born
But the days were hard and Billy got torn
So he drank his way through a life of self destruction

I remember being dirt poor and a tender mothers love
And I remember chasing balls like it was written from above
And it made me richer as I stumbled through this chain of events

My brothers and sisters all scattered as one
Left Rosie and I to Billy's whiplash tongue
So I withdrew into a world of my own

So here I am it's been a roll of the dice
Some spit in the wind and no closing price
All that trouble and strife but at least I'm still here

I I remember being dirt poor and a tender mother's love
And I remember chasing balls like it was written from above
But I finally got around to writing The Ballad of Billy and Rosie
I finally got around to writing The Ballad of Billy and Rosie