In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree
Encyclopedia
In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree is a popular song dating from 1905. It was written by Harry Williams and Egbert Van Alstyne
(music).
The meter of its chorus is in the form of a Limerick
.
It can safely be characterized as a highly sentimental tune. Although the verses (seldom heard nowadays) provide further explanation, it is clear that the writer is singing about a lost love:
, in the scene involving the talking apple trees who become angry with Dorothy for picking apples off them, the strains of this song are heard in the instrumental underscore.
Similarly, in Warner Bros.
cartoons, for example, the tune was invoked in underscore sometimes, when trees were appearing on the screen.
recorded one. The verse describes him passing by the house of Maggie Jones, a maiden "homelier than me", who asks him to fetch some apples on the promise of giving him one of the pies she plans to bake. That verse continues into the chorus:
Egbert Van Alstyne
Egbert Anson Van Alstyne was a United States songwriter and pianist. Van Alstyne was the composer of a number of popular and ragtime tunes from the early 20th century.He was born in Marengo, Illinois...
(music).
The meter of its chorus is in the form of a Limerick
Limerick (poetry)
A limerick is a kind of a witty, humorous, or nonsense poem, especially one in five-line or meter with a strict rhyme scheme , which is sometimes obscene with humorous intent. The form can be found in England as of the early years of the 18th century...
.
It can safely be characterized as a highly sentimental tune. Although the verses (seldom heard nowadays) provide further explanation, it is clear that the writer is singing about a lost love:
- In the shade of the old apple tree,
- Where the love in your eyes I could see,
- Where the voice that I heard,
- Like the song of a bird,
- Seemed to whisper sweet music to me,
- I could hear the dull buzz of the bee
- In the blossoms as you said to me,
- "With a heart that is true,
- "I'll be waiting for you,
- In the shade of the old apple tree."
Other uses
In the movie The Wizard of OzThe Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
, in the scene involving the talking apple trees who become angry with Dorothy for picking apples off them, the strains of this song are heard in the instrumental underscore.
Similarly, in Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
cartoons, for example, the tune was invoked in underscore sometimes, when trees were appearing on the screen.
Parody
A song like this, dripping with sentiment even by early-1900s standards, lent itself to parodies. Billy MurrayBilly Murray (singer)
William Thomas "Billy" Murray was one of the most popular singers in the United States in the early decades of the 20th century...
recorded one. The verse describes him passing by the house of Maggie Jones, a maiden "homelier than me", who asks him to fetch some apples on the promise of giving him one of the pies she plans to bake. That verse continues into the chorus:
- So I climbed up the old apple tree,
- For a pie was a real thing to me.
- She stood down below
- With her apron spread "so"
- To catch all the apples, you see.
- It looked like a picnic for me,
- But just then the limb broke; holy gee!
- And I broke seven bones
- And half-killed Maggie Jones
- In the shade of the old apple tree.