Lavender's Blue

There are as many as thirty verses to the song, and many variations of each verse. A typical version, described by James Halliwell in 1849, is: Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green, When I am king, dilly dilly, you shall be queen: Who told you so, dilly dilly, who told you so? 'Twas mine own heart, dilly dilly, that told me so. Call up your men, dilly dilly, set them to work, Some with a rake, dilly dilly, some with a fork; Some to make hay, dilly dilly, some to thresh corn, Whilst you and I, dilly dilly, keep ourselves warm. If you should die, dilly dilly, as it may hap, You shall be buried, dilly dilly, under the tap; Who told you so, dilly dilly, pray tell me why? That you might drink, dilly dilly, when you are dry. ==Origins==

The earliest surviving version of the song is in a broadside printed in England between 1672 and 1679, The broadside indicates it is to be sung to the tune of "Lavender Green", implying that a tune by that name was already in existence. The lyrics printed in the broadside are fairly bawdy, celebrating sex and drinking. ==Revival==

1949 A version, titled "Lavender Blue (Dilly Dilly)", was featured in the 1948 Walt Disney film So Dear to My Heart, where it was sung by Burl Ives. This version was nominated for Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1949 and was credited to Eliot Daniel (music) and Larry Morey (lyrics). The appearance of "Lavender Blue" in the Disney film sparked a revival of interest in the song. Ives' version of "Lavender Blue" was recorded in December 1948 and released as a single in January 1949. As was common for pop songs in those days, In 1959, Sammy Turner released a rhythm and blues version produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller which reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. ==References==