| Andrew Bird – Fatal Flower Garden Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| I am now 68 years old and when I was a young school girl in the 1950's and early 1960's, I sang this song, with similar lyrics as a solo in school. Everyone, including me thought it was such a sad ballad. It was taught to me by my father, who was born in 1922, also sang it in elementary school as a solo. There are some differences in the lyrics, but the story is the same, especially at the very beginning, about the ball landing in the flower garden and the last two stanzas. As I recall, we sang it to a lovely little tune, repeating the last lines of each stanza. I never knew the name of the song. I am studying the history of the stream of ballads as they traveled from Scotland to Ulster to Pennsylvania and into the Appalachians. I am just curious to know it's origins. It is reported to be an American folk ballad, but I am wondering if it started here or elsewhere and came with the emigrants settling this part of the country. I am in North Carolina and some of my ancestors on my father's side are from England and Scotland. I hadn't thought of this song for years, but my study of Scottish, Irish and Appalachian music brought it back to memory. As to what is the meaning of this song, all I know is that it is sad. | |
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