The song "Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In the West)" is a bit autobiographical. Benny Hill had been a milkman in Eastleigh, Hampshire, working for Hanns Dairy whose premises was yards way from Market Street. There was a bakery near the dairy that did indeed have a delivery van. Having been born and raised (and eventually buried) in Southampton, Benny Hill did live in Teddington.
My Garden of Love
Benny Hill Lyrics
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And landed on the earth below,
In my garden of love
Oh there's a rose for the way your spirits rose when we met,
A forget-me-not to remind me to remember not to forget,
A pine tree for the way I pined over you
And an ash for the day I ashed you to be true
And the sun and the rain fell from up above
And landed on the earth below,
In my garden of love
Well there's a palm tree that we planted when we had our first date,
A turnip for the way you always used to turnip late,
Your mother and your cousin Chris, they often used to come
So, in their honour, I have raised a nice chris-an'-the-mum
Oh the sun and the rain fell from up above
And landed on the earth below,
In my garden of love
Oh there's a beetroot for the day that you said that you'd beetroo' to me,
A sweet pea for the sweet way you always smiled at me,
But you had friends who needed you,
There was Ferdy, there was Liza
So in their honour, I put down a load of ferdy-liza
And the sun and the rain fell from up above
And landed on the earth below,
In my garden of love
But Gus the gardener's gone now and you went with him too,
The fungus here reminds me of the fun Gus is having with you;
The rockery's a mockery, with weeds it's overgrown,
The fuchsia's gone, I couldn't face the fuchsia all alone
And my tears fell like raindrops from the sky above,
And poisoned all the flowers in my garden of love.
Benny Hill's song "My Garden of Love," tells the story of a man who created a garden filled with plants that are symbolic of his memories and experiences with his loved one. The sun and rain represent the natural elements that nourish and sustain the garden, which is a metaphor for his relationship. The roses, forget-me-nots, pines, and ashes all represent specific moments in their life together. The turnip, beetroot, sweet pea, and rockery, on the other hand, are symbolic of their struggles and hardships, but in the end, the garden is poisoned by his tears, and he is left alone.
The lyrics are poignant and convey a sense of deep longing and sadness, particularly in the final verses, which reveal that his loved one has gone with the gardener, leaving him with a garden that has fallen into disrepair. The garden serves as a symbol of the man's relationship, and it gradually withers away as his love vanishes.
Ultimately, "My Garden of Love" is a meditation on the nature of love and the passing of time, and how the memories we create with those we love can live on even after they are gone.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh the sun and the rain fell from up above
The natural elements combined and fell to the earth.
And landed on the earth below,
The rain and sun's combination made contact with the ground.
In my garden of love
This event took place in the singer's personal green space.
Well there's a palm tree that we planted when we had our first date,
The tree was planted when the singer and their partner had their initial meeting.
A turnip for the way you always used to turnip late,
A vegetable to represent the partner's habit of being tardy.
Your mother and your cousin Chris, they often used to come
The partner's relatives were frequent visitors to the garden.
So, in their honour, I have raised a nice chris-an'-the-mum
A floral arrangement to commemorate the partner's family members.
There's a beetroot for the day that you said that you'd beetroo' to me,
A type of vegetable for the day the partner broke their promise.
A sweet pea for the sweet way you always smiled at me,
A sweet-smelling flower to commemorate the partner's lovely smile.
But you had friends who needed you,
The partner had other obligations.
There was Ferdy, there was Liza
The partner had friends with these names.
So in their honour, I put down a load of ferdy-liza
A combination of flowers to honor the partner's friends.
But Gus the gardener's gone now and you went with him too,
The gardener is no longer around, and neither is the partner.
The fungus here reminds me of the fun Gus is having with you;
The singer is reminded of the joys the partner is having with Gus when they see the fungus.
The rockery's a mockery, with weeds it's overgrown,
The rock garden has become a mess covered in weeds.
The fuchsia's gone, I couldn't face the fuchsia all alone
The singer couldn't stand being in the garden anymore, as it reminds them of the lost partner.
And my tears fell like raindrops from the sky above,
The singer cried profusely.
And poisoned all the flowers in my garden of love.
The singer's tears damaged the flowers in the garden of love.
Contributed by Colin P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@johnathanryan2117
Happy 100th Birthday Benny!
I forgot about this but am pissing myself laughing here.
Sadly missed
@larshansson9442
What a comedian! He sang, danced, made the scripts, directed. In the level of Chaplin no doubt.
@victorbrunswick
One of his songs, "Ernie The Fastest Milkman In The West," even made #1 on charts.
@danw1374
Ironically, Charlie Chaplin was a huge fan of benny hill.
@labellaescrima1996
@DJosephWells One of Chaplin own song made it very big also, " Smile" is a song based on an instrumental theme used in the soundtrack for Charlie Chaplin's 1936 movie Modern Times. Chaplin composed the music, the song didn't become known as "Smile" until lyrics were added in 1954 by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons and it was recorded by Nat King Cole. It reached # 10 on the Billboard charts the same year. Chaplin also wrote the Academy Award winning (1953) score from his movie, Limelight!
@victoryoneable
He wrote this song too.
@BossBass7o7
He had perfect pitch as well.
@robertmiller3750
Sheer genius ! Benny was king ๐๐๐
@lynnemc1424
I remember my grandad use to have Benny Hill videotapes and this song was on one of them. I absolutely loved this song as a kid! It makes me miss my grandad though ๐๐
@naco1390
He was so symphatic, miss his comedy and his person so much,expecially in those dark times.