I first heard this song in 1971 when I was travelling through Great Britain with my cousin and her family and my grandmother. Grandmother always wanted us to sing it, but it took me awhile to learn the words from my cousin. Now, I hum it frequently but until today have only known the first two and last two lines of the chorus. Anybody else familiar with this? How many of you have Heart's Ease and Lady Smocks?
ENGLISH COUNTRY GARDEN (Traditional) as sung by Jimmie Rodgers - 1962
How many kinds of sweet flowers grow
In an English country garden?
We'll tell you now of some that we know
Those we miss you'll surely pardon
Daffodils, heart's ease and phlox
Meadowsweet and lady smocks
Gentian, lupine and tall hollihocks
Roses, foxgloves, snowdrops, blue forget-me-nots
In an English country garden
How many insects come here and go
In an English country garden?
We'll tell you now of some that we know
Those we miss you'll surely pardon
Fireflies, moths, gnats and bees
Spiders climbing in the trees
Butterflies drift in the gentle breeze
There are snakes, ants that sting
And other creeping things
In an English country garden
How many songbirds fly to and fro
In an English country garden?
We'll tell you now of some that we know
Those we miss you'll surely pardon
Bobolink, cuckoo and quail
Tanager and cardinal
Bluebird, lark, thrush and nightingale
There is joy in the spring
When the birds begin to sing
In an English country garden
How many kinds of sweet flowers grow
In an English country garden?
We'll tell you now of some that we know
Those we miss you'll surely pardon
Daffodils, heart's ease and phlox
Meadowsweet and lady smocks
Gentian, lupine and tall hollihocks
Roses, foxgloves, snowdrops, blue forget-me-nots
In an English country garden
This message was edited Apr 14, 2009 8:02 PM
English Country Garden - How many of these do you have
Thank you for sharing this pretty poem/song.
I wish I could share the music!! I just called my brother to sing it for him because he couldn't remember it.
Cocoa_lulu, is sounds as though you definitely have an English Country Garden!!
I remember this from years ago and used to grow all of those plants before I moved over here. Rolf Harris did a different version, have you heard that one?
I actually haven't ever heard any "official" sing it.
And when I found the lyrics online, there were several listed.
What is hearts ease and ladies smocks?
Heart's ease is the little tri-color-viola - we always called them Johnny-jump-ups when I was growing up.
Lady's smock is Cardamine pratensis - also called the Cuckoo flower. It's pretty common in England, but I've been having trouble finding it here. It has a little white or pink flower at the top of a stalk.
Meadowsweet is Filipendula, I think. It looks kind of like a white spirea.
Here is a YouTube of the song (poor as the video is).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Lc1_CGnUM4
Excellent! I'll check it out. Now everybody can have this little tune running through their heads as well. Heh heh.
Maybe Susan boyle will do a version of it...
Hee hee.
I so enjoyed it being sung...
It IS catchy, someties too much so. I'm learning the words in self defense (so I don't have to sing, "da-da-da-da, in an English country ga-ar-den"
It is a pleasing little tune. Unlike so many of the newer songs, I can actually understand the words are :-} And yes, now I'll probably spend the next several days with it running through my head, LOL.
It's nice to know the words after 30+ years. I was just singing it while weeding in my SILs garden yesterday.
Here is another very pretty version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzPKU4hYTyQ&feature=related
Oh great. Now another tune that I can't get out of my head. Guess it's better than, "Dora Dora Dora the exploooorer . . ."
That woman's voice is so pretty. Unfortunately, I can't carry a tune, and my kids keep asking me to please stop singing!
Tell your kids you'll stop if they'll start! ;-)
I've been singing the tune to the Jack-in-the Box ad, "Yippee eye aye mini sirloin burgers . . ." That has to rival Dora the Explorer for aggravating.
Kathy
What about the one.,.....
F R E E that spells free
Credit report dot com bay bee
ARGHG!!!!!!
We haven't had that one here, but I can see how it might stick. Eeek!