Lavender's Blue
Version 1
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?
It was my own heart, dilly dilly,
That told me so.
Call up your men, dilly, dilly,
Set them to work;
Some to the plow, dilly, dilly,
Some to the fork.
Some to make hay, dilly, dilly,
Some to cut corn;
While you and I, dilly, dilly,
Keep ourselves warm.
(Mother Goose Club Version)
Version 2
Lavender’s blue, diddle, diddle,
Lavender’s green;
When I am king, diddle, diddle,
You shall be queen.
Some to plough, diddle, diddle,
Some to the cart.
Some to make hay, diddle, diddle,
Some to thresh corn,
Whilst you and I, diddle, diddle,
Keep ourselves warm.
Source: The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (1997)
Version 3
Lavender blue and Rosemary green,
When I am king you shall be queen;
Call up my maids at four o’clock,
Some to the wheel and some to the rock;
Some to make hay and some to shear corn,
And you and I will keep the bed warm.
Source: Songs for the Nursery (1805)
Historical Background
“Lavender’s Blue” dates back to the seventeenth century and has been subject to countless variations. A version of the rhyme was featured in the Walt Disney movie “So Dear to My Heart” in 1949, reviving the song’s popularity. During the rock and rock era of the 1950s, Solomon Burke and Sammy Turner both recorded different renditions of the song. The earliest known version of the rhyme was printed in England between 1672 and 1685, titled “Diddle Diddle, Or The Kind Country Lovers,” with the first eight lines:
Lavenders green, Diddle, diddle,
Lavenders blue.
You must love me, diddle, diddle,
cause I love you.
I heard one say, diddle, diddle,
since I came hither,
That your and I, diddle, diddle,
Must lie together.”
