I think gabby's theory may well have had it's tongue as firmly in it's cheek as my earlier Lancastrian accent one, Howard.

BTW, in an unrelated song, Bunch of Thyme, the sailor gives his girl a blood red rose. I always thought that was symbollic (nunge, nudge, wink, wink) but someone convinced me it did mean love after all. A 'rose that never did decay' sounds much more like love that the rose I was thinking of that wilts after 15 minutes:-) Well, maybe 5 at my age...

D.