[Verse 1]
The wind is drunk and howling through these tattered sails
A ship has come to rest on stony ground
Where kindness is a cruelty, no balm for bleedings hearts
Where tears drop in the sea without a sound
[Chorus]
Paradise found, but defective
True colors sewn and flying from the mast
The reds of bloody slaughter
Replacing hues of rose from days long past
[Verse 2]
Martyrdom displayed, a showy badge of pride
Worn with pain, a photogenic wound
She puts on a happy face, a white kabuki mask
And the act without a curtain is resumed
[Chorus]
Punishment by roses
The charm school killer leaves a fresh bouquet
A catalog of cruel, deceptive poses
Camouflage for marriage's decay
[Bridge]
He dried her eyes with a tissue of lies
A kiss and makeup smile upon his face
He gave her roses and with a sigh
She put them in the same old place
She cut her finger on a thorn
She had already packed her case
No punishment to fit a lover's crime
The guiltless are still doing time
[Chorus]
Punishment by roses
The charm school killer leaves a fresh bouquet
A catalog of cruel, deceptive poses
Punishment by roses
The charm school killer leaves a fresh bouquet
A catalog of cruel, deceptive poses
Camouflage for marriage's decay