| AKA | The old apple tree Under the apple tree One day I thought I’d take a swim in the water |
| First Published | 1905 |
| Lyrics | Harry H. Williams | Music | Egbert Van Alstyne | Roud | RN10242 |
| Music Hall Performers | Burt Shepard |
| Folk performances | Source Singers Eric Firth, no date, England Jeannine Lebastard, no date, Saskatchewan Canada Edward B Horton, 1933, Vermont USA Roy Crimes etc, 1953, Arkansas USA [parody] Gladys Everly, 1958, Missouri USA Geoff Ling, 1964/65, Suffolk England May Bradley, 1965, Shropshire England Lena Cooper, 1966, Kent England Walter Pardon, 1974, Norfolk England Vincent Ledwell, 1974, Newfoundland Canada Modern performances |
As originally written: The oriole with joy was sweetly singing The little brook was babbling forth its tune The village bells at noon were gaily singing The world seemed brighter that a harvest moon For there, within my arms, I gently pressed you And blushing red you slowly turned away I can't forget the way I once caressed you I can't forget that happy bygone day, In the shade of the old apple tree When the love in your eyes I could see When 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. In other lands I've wandered since we parted I seek the garden fair beside the stream I tread each well known pathway weary hearted For all I see recalls the old sweet dream No more on earth your loving smile will cheer me No more on earth your dear face I shall see Yet memories of the past are ever near me And linger round the dear old apple tree,
The words given above are for the original American song, which was a big hit on both sides of the Atlantic. It was written as a popular song of the day, and like many other hits from America, it was sung in the Halls.
In the British Halls the song was associated with American artiste Burt Shepard (1854–1913) a former female impersonator and black-face minstrel, latterly a popular Music Hall singer and comedian.
It has been taken up by traditional singers on both sides of the Atlantic who often sing it in its original form. Given the rather sentimental content, it’s not surprising there are a number of parody versions. Rambling Jack Elliott recorded one related to Roy Crimes’ 1953 version. Some particularly filthy versions can be found in collections of rugby songs.
[Its a bit of a Trad jazz standard, and you can find dozens of jazz versions including those by Duke Ellington, and Louis Armstrong]
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%3A10242
- Kilgarrif Sing Us
- Lyrics and sheet music: monologues.co.uk
- Walter Pardon‘s recording in the British Library
Last Updated on October 23, 2020 by John Baxter | Published: June 26, 2020
