Lyrics:
My love stood under the walnut tree
Over the garden wall
She whispered and said she’d be true to me
Over the garden wall
She had beautiful eyes and beautiful hair
She’s not very tall so she stood in a chair
And many is the time have I’ve kissed her there
Over the garden wall
Over the garden wall
The sweetest girl of all
There never were yet such eyes of jet
And you can bet I’ll never forget
The night our lips in kisses met
Over the garden wall
There’s always a night and there’s always a day
Over the garden wall
There’s always a will and there’s always a way
Over the garden wall
We hadn’t much money, but weddings were cheap
So while the old fellow was snoring asleep
With a lad and ladder, she managed to creep
Over the garden wall
Over the garden wall
The sweetest girl of all
There never were yet such eyes of jet
And you can bet I’ll never forget
The night our lips in kisses met
Over the garden wall
Original Middle Two Verses
Her father stamped and her father raved
Over the garden wall
And like an old madman he behaved
Over the garden wall
She made a bouquet of roses red
But immediately I popped up my head
He gave me a bucket of water instead
Over the garden wall
One day I jumped down on the other side
Over the garden wall
And she bravely promised to be my bride
Over the garden wall
But she screamed in a fright, “Here’s father, quick
I have an impression he’s bringing a stick”
But I brought the impression of half a brick
Over the garden wall.
Featured On:
Old Time American Music
• Recordings I Learned From Or Like •
Source Recordings:
Mary Eva Davis (Performer), Mary A. Mitchell (collector) – Fall of 1963
About the Song:
Originally published commerically as “Kissing Over the Garden Wall” in 1881 by John Church & Co, “Over the Garden Wall” is an initially comedic love song written by Harry Hunter and composed by George D. Fox. While not much is known about Fox, Hunter (1841-1906) was a leader in both major British black face minstrel groups. He wrote the song for the Mohawk Minstrels for a performance in 1874. Later, the song grew popularity in music halls and vaudville performences.
In the decades following, the song was able to shed its racist roots and transition into the folk tradition, entering the repertoires of many source singers. It has been collected by folklorists and ethnomusicologists in both the US and the UK.