Over the Garden Wall

As published by John Church & Co. in 1881. Library of Congress Control No. 2023839908

Oh, my love stood under the walnut tree
Over the garden wall
She whisper’d and said she’d be true to me
Over the garden wall
She’d beautiful eyes and beautiful hair
She was not very tall so she stood on a chair
And many a time have I kissed her there
Over the garden wall

Over the garden wall
The sweetest girl of all
There never was yet, such eyes of jet
And you may bet, I’ll never forget
The night our lips in kisses met
Over the garden wall

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

Over the garden wall, &ct.

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

Over the garden wall, &ct.

But where there’s a will, there’s always a way
Over the garden wall
There’s always a night, as well as a day
Over the garden wall
We hadn’t much money, but weddings are cheap
So while the old fellow was snoring asleep
With a lad and a ladder she managed to creep
Over the garden wall

Over the garden wall, &ct.

As published in Sol Smith Russel’s Songs in “Edgewood Folks” in 1881 featuring additional verses by George Cooper (1840-1927). Library of Congress Control No. 2016786154

Oh, my love stood under the walnut tree
Over the garden wall
She whisper’d and said she’d be true to me
Over the garden wall
She’d beautiful eyes and beautiful hair
She was not very tall so she stood on a chair
And many a time have I kissed her there
Over the garden wall

Over the garden wall
The sweetest girl of all
There never was yet, such eyes of jet
And you may bet, I’ll never forget
The night our lips in kisses met
Over the garden wall

Oh, she used to throw such sweet notes to me
Over the garden wall
Her lips were ripe as a peach could be
Over the garden wall
And when she would smile, once fondly I stood
With her hand on my lips, and a wasp, very rude
Away up my jacket began to intrude
Over the garden wall

Over the garden wall, &ct.

Oh, I watched in sunshine, and watched in rain
Over the garden wall
The love that I bore her I’d there explain
Over the garden wall
One day an old goat, observing me there
Approached very sly, with cunning so rare
With one butt he knocked me right side up with care
Over the garden wall

Over the garden wall, &ct.

But 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

Over the garden wall, &ct.

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

Over the garden wall, &ct.

But where there’s a will, there’s always a way
Over the garden wall
There’s always a night, as well as a day
Over the garden wall
We hadn’t much money, but weddings are cheap
So while the old fellow was snoring asleep
With a lad and a ladder she managed to creep
Over the garden wall

Over the garden wall, &ct.

Now we’re nicely married, no more we court
Over the garden wall
Though often we laugh at our youthful sport
Over the garden wall
But we’ve got a boy who is bright and sly
And ’twas just ‘tother evening, as I wandered by
To kiss a nice girl there I saw him try
Over the garden wall

Over the garden wall, &ct.