The song was written by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick and produced by Ahmet Ertegun, Nesuhi Ertegun and Jerry Wexler.
Conductor and arranger of the Bobby Darin-Version of the Song is Richard Behrke.
Artificial Flowers
Bobby Darin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As sweet a young child as you'd find
Her parents had gone to their final reward
Leavin' their baby behind
(Did you hear?)
This poor little child was only nine years of age
When mother and dad went awayStill she bravely worked
At the one thing she knew
To earn her few pennies a day
She made artificial flowers, artificial flowers
Flowers for ladies of fashion to wear
She made artificial flowers you know those artificial flowers
Fashions from Annie's despair
With paper and shears with some wire and wax
She made up each tulip and mum
As snowflakes drifted into her tenement room
Her baby little fingers grew numb
From makin' artificial flowers those artificial flowers
Flowers for ladies of high fashion to wear
She made artificial flowers artificial flowers
Made from Annie's despair
They found little Annie all covered in ice
Still clutchin' her poor frozen shears
Amidst all the blossoms she had fashioned by hand
And watered with all her young tears
There must be a heaven where little Annie can play
In heavenly gardens and bowersAnd instea-a-ad of a halo she'll wear 'round her head
A garland of genuine flowers
No more artificial flowers
Throw away those artificial flowers
Flowers for ladies of society to wear
Throw away those artificial flowers
Those dumb-dumb flowers
Fashioned from Annie's
Fashioned from A-a-a-annie's des-pa-a-a-air
(Give her the real thing)
The song "Artificial Flowers" by Bobby Darin is a tragic tale of a young girl named Anne who, at the tender age of nine, is left alone in the world after her parents' passing. Anne's bravery and determination to survive shine through as she takes up the task of making artificial flowers to earn a living. The use of the word "artificial" emphasizes how this little girl, with no other options, had to resort to making fake flowers. Through her efforts, Anne creates beautiful flowers that the women of fashion can wear, all while enduring the harsh reality of poverty - her hands numb from the cold winter air that seeps through the cracks in her tenement room. The final touch of tragedy comes when Anne is found, frozen to death, still holding onto her scissors, amidst the very flowers she made with her own tears.
The song's melancholic melody and Darin's somber singing perfectly convey the sadness of little Anne's life and death. The lyrics are an eloquent representation of how society can break a person yet the spirit can still endure, inspire and create beauty amidst despair. The song's overall message is one of hope and the power of beauty to transform even the most tragic moments into something heavenly.
Line by Line Meaning
Alone in the world was poor little Anne
Anne was all by herself as she had no one in the world to rely on
As sweet a young child as you'd find
Anne was a delightful and charming little girl
Her parents had gone to their final reward
Anne's parents had passed away
Leavin' their baby behind
They left their daughter alone in the world
This poor little child was only nine years of age
Anne was a young girl who was not even ten years old
When mother and dad went away
Anne's parents had passed away
Still she bravely worked
Despite being alone and young, Anne didn't give up
At the one thing she knew
Anne knew how to make artificial flowers
To earn her few pennies a day
Making artificial flowers was the only way Anne could earn money
She made artificial flowers, artificial flowers
Anne created fake flowers
Flowers for ladies of fashion to wear
Her fake flowers became popular with ladies who wanted to wear fashionable flowers
You know those artificial flowers
Anne's artificial flowers
Fashions from Annie's despair
Her artificial flowers were created in a state of sadness and despair
With paper and shears with some wire and wax
Anne crafted her artificial flowers using paper, wire, and wax
She made up each tulip and mum
Anne carefully crafted each flower to make them perfect
As snowflakes drifted into her tenement room
Anne created the flowers in her small apartment with snowflakes falling outside
Her baby little fingers grew numb
Anne's small fingers would go numb as she worked long hours crafting her flowers
They found little Annie all covered in ice
People discovered Anne frozen in her apartment
Still clutchin' her poor frozen shears
Anne held on to her scissors even after passing away from the cold
Amidst all the blossoms she had fashioned by hand
There were many artificial flowers in Anne's apartment that she had created
And watered with all her young tears
Anne had cried a lot while making the flowers
There must be a heaven where little Annie can play
Anne deserves to be in heaven, where she can be happy and play
In heavenly gardens and bowers
Heaven must be a beautiful place with gardens and flowers
And instea-a-ad of a halo she'll wear 'round her head
Instead of a halo over her head, Anne should wear a beautiful garland of flowers
A garland of genuine flowers
A beautiful wreath of real, naturally occurring flowers
No more artificial flowers
We should stop making fake flowers
Throw away those artificial flowers
Get rid of the fake flowers
Flowers for ladies of society to wear
Women only wear fake flowers as a status symbol
Those dumb-dumb flowers
The fake flowers were pointless and meaningless
Fashioned from Annie's
The flowers were created by Anne
Fashioned from A-a-a-annie's des-pa-a-a-air
Anne made these flowers in a state of despair
(Give her the real thing)
Instead of fake flowers, give Anne some real flowers
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LEWIS BOCK JERROLD, SHELDON HARNICK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Judee Weinstein
on The Curtain Falls
Bobby Darin DID NOT write the song. My late father, Sol Weinstein did. Darin liked this song and asked my dad if he could use it in his act. Please correct this.
Daniel
on Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home
One heck of a entertainer. A life cut way to soon. RIP Mr. Darin. Remember one thing he was one of the first Emmy winners, in the late 50s. When the emmys started.