well, by putting together all of the different verses and versions of the versus, I have come up with a story that the rose song may or may not have expressed. It seems to me to be a story about a girl named rose (obviously) who had an affair with what seems to be a soldier. They ended up getting married after the war and had a child, a boy. After child was born rose took ill and passed away.

Here's what I have of the lyrics:

Rose rose rose rose
will I ever see thee wed?
I will marry at thy will sire
if thou but stay

Rose Rose Rose Rose
will you be my lover tonight?
I will love thee at thy will sire,
at thy will

Rose Rose Rose Rose
When shall we meet again?
When the nights are cold and lonely
we shall meet again

peace peace peace peace
wars will end and wars will begin
I shall never fight again
never fight again

what a godly thing
if the children of the earth
could dwell together
in peace

love love love love
christians this is your call
love thy neighbor as thy self
for god loves all

ding dong ding dong
wedding bells on an April morn
carve her name on a moss covered stone
a moss covered stone

hey ho nobody's home
meat nor drink nor money have I
But I'll still be very very merry
hey ho nobody's home

many a moon has waxed and waned
on this day a child is born
what shall be the name of the lad, rose?
name of the lass

come come come come
join us in our happy home
we celebrate our first born son
our first born son

gloom gloom gloom gloom
my rose took ill at the harvest moon
chills and fever torcher her so, lord
why my rose?

ding dong ding dong
funeral bells on a september morn
rose oh rose is dead and gone sire
dead and gone

brother, sister at my head
lay my rose who now is dead
lay her under the moss covered stone
the moss covered stone

At poor bird
why art thou
flying in the shadows
of this dark hour?

up poor bird
take thy flight
high above the sorrows
of this sad night