Sweet Violets
Encyclopedia
"Sweet Violets" is a surprising humorous lyrics. The song consists mainly of couplets, except that the last word of each couplet, which can generally be inferred from a combination of context and the ostensible rhyming scheme, is instead cut off by the start of the next couplet or by the chorus.The following excerpt from the song is an example of the style:
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 would get married and raise lots of...
Sweet Violets, sweeter than all the roses
Covered all over from head to toe
Covered all over with sweet violets.
- O. Williams, Amherst Point, Nova Scotia, collected by Claybe
- minor edits by J. Glennie, Niagara Falls, ON
O. W. says there are more verses: "the father was going to call the..." - expected word was "cops" but the next line started with "Minister"; "doing her..." - expected word was "wrong" but the next line started with "Right".
The girl told the farmer that he'd better stop
and she'd tell 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, 'Cause it's always been my belief
Marriage will bring a man nothing but...
Sweet Violets
Sweeter than the roses
Covered all over from head to toe
Covered all over with sweet violets
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
Standin' and waitin' in front of the...
End of the story which just goes to show
All a girl wants from a man is his...
Sweet Violets
Sweeter than the roses
Covered all over from head to toe
Covered all over with sweet violets
Sweet Violets
A classic example of a "censored rhyme" lyric, the anticipated words "kiss" are replaced by "lecture" and "legs" by "manners"...and so on.
The chorus is from the song "Sweet Violets" by Joseph Emmet, from his 1882 play Fritz Among the Gypsies - "Sweet violets, sweeter than all the roses...covered all over from head to toe, covered all over with sweet violets."
It was recorded by Dinah Shore
with Henri René's Orchestra & Chorus in Hollywood on May 20, 1951. The song was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-4174A (78 rpm record), 47-4174A (single) (in USA) and by EMI
on the His Master's Voice label as catalog number B 10115. The Dinah Shore version was arranged by Cy Coben
and Charles Grean. It reached # 3 on the Billboard magazine charts. The song (in all its versions, combined) reached #1 on the Cash Box magazine
best-seller chart.
It was also recorded by Mitch Miller and the Gang
, Jane Turzy
, and Judy Lynn
. .
Numerous versions exist in which the implied lyrics are more risque.
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 would get married and raise lots of...
Sweet Violets, sweeter than all the roses
Roses
Roses is a municipality in the comarca of the Alt Empordà in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the coast at the northern end of the Gulf of Roses, and is an important fishing port and tourist centre. The C-260 road links the town with Figueres....
Covered all over from head to toe
Covered all over with sweet violets.
- O. Williams, Amherst Point, Nova Scotia, collected by Claybe
- minor edits by J. Glennie, Niagara Falls, ON
O. W. says there are more verses: "the father was going to call the..." - expected word was "cops" but the next line started with "Minister"; "doing her..." - expected word was "wrong" but the next line started with "Right".
The girl told the farmer that he'd better stop
and she'd tell 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, 'Cause it's always been my belief
Marriage will bring a man nothing but...
Sweet Violets
Sweeter than the roses
Covered all over from head to toe
Covered all over with sweet violets
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
Standin' and waitin' in front of the...
End of the story which just goes to show
All a girl wants from a man is his...
Sweet Violets
Sweeter than the roses
Covered all over from head to toe
Covered all over with sweet violets
Sweet Violets
A classic example of a "censored rhyme" lyric, the anticipated words "kiss" are replaced by "lecture" and "legs" by "manners"...and so on.
The chorus is from the song "Sweet Violets" by Joseph Emmet, from his 1882 play Fritz Among the Gypsies - "Sweet violets, sweeter than all the roses...covered all over from head to toe, covered all over with sweet violets."
It was recorded by Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality...
with Henri René's Orchestra & Chorus in Hollywood on May 20, 1951. The song was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-4174A (78 rpm record), 47-4174A (single) (in USA) and by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
on the His Master's Voice label as catalog number B 10115. The Dinah Shore version was arranged by Cy Coben
Cy Coben
Cyrus "Cy" Coben was an American songwriter whose hits were recorded by bandleaders, country singers, The Beatles, and even Leonard Nimoy....
and Charles Grean. It reached # 3 on the Billboard magazine charts. The song (in all its versions, combined) reached #1 on the Cash Box magazine
Cash Box magazine
Cashbox magazine was a weekly publication devoted to the music and coin-operated machine industries in the USA which was published from July 1942 to November 16, 1996...
best-seller chart.
It was also recorded by Mitch Miller and the Gang
Mitch Miller
Mitchell William "Mitch" Miller was an American musician, singer, conductor, record producer, A&R man and record company executive...
, Jane Turzy
Jane Turzy
Jane Turzy was a Chicago, Illinois-born singer of traditional pop music.She succeeded in reaching the popularity charts only in 1951 with three recordings she made for Decca Records...
, and Judy Lynn
Judy Lynn
Judy Lynn Kelly , who performed as Judy Lynn and was born Judy Lynn Voiten, was an American country music singer and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Idaho in 1955....
. .
Numerous versions exist in which the implied lyrics are more risque.