Here are the characters:

The narrator. He finds a dying man on a railroad track, and he bends down to hear his story.

The dying man. This is a man who went to prison for 10 years in Frisco and was making his way back to Louisiana, although we never learn why he is dying, it's safe to assume it is probably a railroad accident.

Rose. The dying man's wife. Not much is known about her.

The dying man's son. We must assume this man accomplished a victory over some sort of hardship to invoke his father's pride. However, it may also be the case that the dying man just wants his boy to feel pride regardless.

The victim of the dying man's crime. If the dying man had to serve 10 years for something he did, there must also have been someone for which he did the crime. This victim may be a person or a corporate entity or something, but the dying man was found guilty.

Of this cast of characters, the two most interesting characters to consider are the dying man and the narrator. Rose and the dying man's son are consequentially interesting, but not much can be extrapolated about them as characters. The victim of the dying man's crime is mostly insignificant.

Let's begin with the narrator. Here is a guy who is by the railroad tracks for some reason. This might be because he works for the railroad and has to travel along them to check for debris on the tracks. It might be he was wandering in the woods and happened up on the dying man. But he finds himself at a railroad. And he finds himself looking at a dead man. And in this position he has a few options, he could pretend he saw nothing, and keep on down the line. Or he could investigate the situation closer, which he decides. So we must imagine him standing over the dying man, but he can't hear what the dying man is saying. The dying man must be barely able to speak, which tells us about the nature of his injury. He has likely lost much blood.

The narrator listens to what the dying man says, then he is given a bag of money. The song leaves it open about what the narrator does with the bag of money, but I always get the feeling that he could just keep the bag of money and not give it to Rose. I think this tension is intentional. What would you do in this situation?

Would you bring that bag of money to Rose or would you keep the bag of money and never tell a soul? I think why I often think the narrator keeps the bag of money for himself is because I think the narrator is a hobo. That's why he's at the tracks in the first place. And nobody is around to see it but him. So he keeps the bag of money. And he continues down the line. And he's starting to feel a gnaw of guilt. And that's why he's singing this song. That bag of money is mentioned too often. Like the narrator keeps glancing over at the bag of money as the dying man is telling his story. So yeah, I think the narrator takes the dying man's money and keeps it for himself. Although this is never explicitly stated in the song. This narrator character allows us to contemplate honesty, integrity, and consequence.

Next, there is the dying man himself. Here is a man who served 10 years in prison for "what he’s done" Well, what did he do? What sort of crime gets a man 10 years in prison? My immediate assumption is murder, however 10 years for murder is far too low. Perhaps an accidental murder might warrant a shorter term. But I think we must conclude it is a lesser crime than that. Robbery can get a person 10 years, depending upon the sum stolen. And robbery fits the theme of the song if we assume the narrator is tempted by the bag of money. And if it is robbery, it builds a wonderful contrast between the dying man and the narrator. The dying man spent 10 years in prison for his crime, away from his wife and son. We feel the regret of his decision. This adds to the weight of the consequences of the narrator's decision.

So the dying man did his time and now he's heading home to Louisiana. We never get a reference to summer heat, but I always picture this scene in the hot afternoon sun.

Where did he get the bag of money and why is he not using it to travel on the train? Because, if you think about it, you don't usually get injured by a train if you're riding it properly. Typically an injury by a train happens to people just walking along the tracks and not getting out of the way in time if a train happens to pass. Also, we could rule out that the dying man was shot by another because that person would have took the bag of money. Maybe he was attacked by an animal, which is also possible. But it's fascinating to me that the dying man is just carrying around a bag of money. Now, this may just be an ordinary leather pouch with some coins in it. But I envision a large cartoon bag of money with a black dollar sign painted on it. Maybe he dug the money up from somewhere he stashed it after the robbery before he was caught, then did the time with the plan to go back and get the money. If this is the case, then is says a lot about the dying man. If he knew he would have to serve 10 years before he went into the situation and he still went through with it, then we are considering the man's tenacity.

The dying man thinks his Rose is very important. He keeps stressing to give his love to Rose. He doesn't say to "tell Rose I love her." In fact, he does say to "tell my boy that daddy's so proud of him," but he doesn't say "tell my Rose that her husband loves her." He repeatedly underscores the importance of "don't forget to give my love to Rose." This may just be an innocent phrasing, yet I can't help but think that the narrator has a more sinister understanding of the request. The narrator is already eyeing the bag of money for himself. If we weren't already in the realm of criminals it might be easier to dismiss this notion.

Personally, I want to live in a world where the narrator is a stand up guy who brings the bag of money to the wife and boy, tells them the dying man's last words, and goes on his way. This is who I want the narrator to be. But then, if we are to believe the narrator, the dying man says "Tell my Rose that she should find another 'cuz it ain't right that she should live alone." Well. Did he actually say that? Really? About his wife? Maybe. A guy might say that. It’s a sweet sentiment.

Or, is that what the narrator is just saying? "Oh wow, Mr. Narrator is such a stand up guy, look, he brought the money, see? And said to say that he's proud of you, boy, now come here Rose and give me a kiss and we'll live happily ever after! Just like your dying man requested!"

Yeah, I'm not buying it.

The narrator is too suspicious. Again, I wouldn't go down this line of thinking if we weren't already within the realm of criminals out of prison. The song is from the point of view of the narrator, so we're not necessarily getting directly what the songwriter thinks is important. The songwriter could have just as easily just it said it directly that there was a dying man that said this stuff, instead the songwriter chose to frame the story with a narrator. I am compelled to believe that the songwriter knew the nuance of what he was doing. So the song is a filter of what the narrator, the character, believes is important. The bag of money. Give Rose some love. Tell the boy his dad was proud. I'm just saying. The choice of what details to include and which to forget is slightly suspicious of the narrator.

There is a capacity for any song lyrics to ignite more in the imagination than there is actually any evidence for in the words to support. So all speculation aside, the dying man cares about his Rose. And it is very important to him that she knows this. The sentiment is very sweet. The dying man's heart is in the right place, and he has had to spend 10 years apart from his Rose and his son. That deeply stirs my feelings. The dying man, no matter his bad choices, has my sympathy. The dying man's commitment to Rose empowers us to contemplate the rewards of commitment as a source of motivation to continue. His memory of Rose likely gave him the strength to endure his sentence. Furthermore, what absolutely cements the dying man as a hero for me, is that he hopes to instill pride in his son. He's been apart from his son for 10 years. He likely doesn't know much about his son at all. Still, he is proud of his son, and it's important to him that his son knows it. This is an ideal father and considering how that pride is fostered is noble.

On the surface, "Give My Love To Rose" is a tender song about a dying man whose dying wish is that his Rose knows she is loved and his son knows he is appreciated.

Speculatively, just beneath the surface, "Give My Love To Rose" is a song about temptation and the contrast between a criminal and the regret of a hero who has done his time for the same crime being considered.

10/10 perfect song

The Characterization and Potential Hidden Conflict Inside "Give My Love to Rose"