AKA | |
First Published | 1931 |
Writer/composer | William Hargreaves | Roud | RN1736 |
Music Hall Performers | Charlie Higgins |
Folk performances | Collected from the singing of: Green, Harry England : Essex : 1967 Mills, Billy England : Yorkshire : Sheffield : 1970 Brightwell, William (‘Jumbo’) ; England : Suffolk : 1971 Spicer, George ; England : Sussex : 1973 Innes, Alex ; England : Gloucestershire : 1974 Withers, George ; England : Somerset : 1976 Rowe, Cliff; England : Somerset : 1977 Cornelius, Edward ‘Soldier’ ; England : Somerset : 1977 Freeman, Hubert ; England : Suffolk : Bedingfield 1991 Langsbury, Ken England : Gloucestershire : 1994 Tarling, Jack ; England : Suffolk : 1995 Unknown singer ; England : Gloucestershire : 1995 |
[Transcribed from recoding by Jim Dixon, see Mudcat Thread]
Oh, Mary Green loves me and I love her too.
We blush when we meet like all true lovers do,
Beside the plantation where green meadows run.
We spoon in the dark and we have lots of fun,
Down in the field where the buttercups all grow.
My sweetheart said I was too bashful and slow,
But she changed her mind when I let myself go,
Down in the field where the buttercups all grow.
We walked side by side through the long winding grass.
The rhubarb grew sideways to let us both pass.
We stood 'neath a tree and the birds up above
Were all busy dropping their tokens of love,
Down in the field where the buttercups all grow.
My girl climbed a gate and said, "Turn your head, Joe,"
But I'd a stiff neck so we let matters go,
Down in the field where the buttercups all grow.
My sweetheart and I were behind a haystack.
A bumblebee flew down the small of her back.
I saw what had happened and in my distress,
I pushed my right hand down the back of her dress,
Down in the field where the buttercups all grow,
My hand down her back when she struck me a blow.
I'd no idea that bee was so far below,
Down in the field where the buttercups all grow.
The songsters were greeting the day newly born,
The sheep in the meadow, the cows in the corn,
And when sheep and cows have been round there a bit,
It's not a nice place for a lady to sit.
Down in the field where the buttercups all grow,
A cow licking Mary's face tickled her so.
She thought it was me and said, "Don't slobber, Joe,"
Down in the field where the buttercups all grow.
A ten-gallon barrel on top of the hill
Came flashing towards us; my heart it stood still,
But Mary stood bravely unflinching and true.
Her legs were so bandy the barrel went through,
Down in the field where the buttercups all grow.
Our courtship was swift and our honeymoon slow.
The bed was so small that we both had to go
Down in the field where the buttercups all grow.
A song popularised by Manchester-born Music Hall comic and recording artiste Charlie Higgins – remembered by many Traditional singers in southern England in the late 20th century. The song was written by prolific songwriter William Hargreaves.
Charlie Higgins sings it:
Sources:
- Entries in the Roud Indexes at the Vaughn Williams Memorial Library: https://archives.vwml.org/search/all:single[folksong-broadside-books]/0_50/all/score_desc/extended-roudNo_tr%3A1736
- Mudcat Thread
- Kilgarrif Sing Us
- Lyrics: from recording
Last Updated on May 19, 2025 by John Baxter | Published: May 19, 2025