Prologue

The song, Sweet Violets was written late in the eighteen hundreds, so it is starting into its third century. (This is from Wikipedia, I wasn't there to know this personally. And before anyone writes me that the elapsed time is just about 120 years -- I know, but it is the third century [18-, 19-, and 2000s]. Besides: third century sounds better than one hundred and twenty-some years.) It was a top ten hit in 1951 by Dinah Shore and was often played by the band on the Johnny Carson show. The song has a surprising feature -- the verses don't actually rhyme, unless you add 'secret' words, which tell a different story from the song as presented. I hope you enjoy my update on this old favorite of mine.

(Chorus) Sweet violets, sweeter than the roses,
Running all over from head to toe,
Covered all over with sweet violets.

There once was a farmer who took a young miss
In back of the barn where he gave her a
Lecture on horses and chickens and eggs,
And told her that she had such beautiful
Manners that suited a girl of her charms,
A girl that he wanted to take in his
Washing and ironing and then, if she did,
They could get married and raise lots of

(CHORUS)

The girl told the farmer that he'd better stop
And she called her father and he called a
Taxi and got there before very long,
'Cause someone was doing his little girl
Right for a change and so that's why he said,
If you marry her, son, you're better off
Single, for that's always been my belief:
That marriage will bring a man nothing but

(CHORUS)

The farmer decided he'd wed anyway,
And started in planning for his wedding
Suit, which he purchased for only one buck,
But then he found out he was just out of
Money and so he got left in the lurch,
Standing and waiting in front of the
End of this story which just goes to show,
All a girl wants from a man is his

Sweet violets.

Verse 1 »