Barbara Allen
Doris Day Lyrics


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All in the merry month of May
When the green buds they were swelling,
William Green on his death-bed lay
For the love of Barbara Allen.

He sent his servant to the town
To the place where she was dwelling
Saying "Love, there is a call for you
If your name is Barbara Allen."

She was very slowly getting up
And very slowly going,
The only words she said to him
Were "Young man I think you're dying."

"Don't you remember the other day
When you were in town a-drinking,
You drank a health to the ladies all around
And slighted Barbara Allen?"

"O yes, I remember the other day
When I was in town a-drinking,
I drank a health to the ladies all around,
But my love to Barbara Allen."

He turned his pale face to the wall
And death was in him dwelling;
"Adieu, adieu, to my friends all,
Be kind to Barbara Allen."

When she got in two miles of town
She heard the death bells ringing:
They rang so clear, as if to say
"Hard-hearted Barbara Allen!"

So she looked east and she looked west
And saw the cold corpse coming,
She says "Come round you nice young man
And let me look upon you."

The more she looked the more she grieved
Until she burst out crying
"Perhaps I could have saved that young man's life
Who now is here a-lying."

"O Mother, O Mother, come make my bed
O make it both soft and narrow,
For sweet William died to-day
And I will die to-morrow."

"O Father, O Father, come dig my grave
O dig it deep and narrow,
For sweet William died in love
And I will die in sorrow."

Sweet William was buried in the old church tomb,
Barbara Allen was buried in the yard;
Out of William's heart grew a red rose,
Out of Barbara Allen's grew a brier.

They grew and grew to the old church tower
And they could not grow any higher;




And at the end tied a true lover's knot
And the rose wrapped around the brier.

Overall Meaning

The song "Barbara Allen" tells a tragic tale of a young man, William Green, who is on his deathbed because of his love for a woman named Barbara Allen. He sends his servant to Barbara's home to request her presence, but she initially refuses. When she finally goes to see him, the only words she says to him are "Young man, I think you're dying." William reminds her of a time when he drank a health to all the ladies in town except her, causing her to reject him. He then professes his love for her, and passes away while uttering his farewell to his friends and a plea for them to be kind to Barbara Allen.


As Barbara makes her way back to town, she hears the death bells ringing and discovers that William has passed away. She regrets rejecting him earlier and mourns the loss of his life. In her sorrow, she also wishes for a swift death to join him, and both are buried in different locations. However, a red rose and a brier grow from their graves, symbolically intertwine, and are tied together in a true lover's knot at the end of the song.


The song conveys a powerful message about the consequences of rejecting love or failing to express it. It shows that life is short and that it's important to seize the opportunity to express love when it is present. Furthermore, it demonstrates the consequences of letting pride interfere with the willingness to accept or express love.


Line by Line Meaning

All in the merry month of May When the green buds they were swelling,
In the month of May, when the flowers were blooming, William Green had taken his death-bed because of love for Barbara Allen.


He sent his servant to the town To the place where she was dwelling Saying "Love, there is a call for you If your name is Barbara Allen."
William sends his servant to Barbara's house to call her since he's in his deathbed.


She was very slowly getting up And very slowly going, The only words she said to him Were "Young man I think you're dying."
Barbara took time to get ready and go to William. When she arrives, she says that William is dying.


"Don't you remember the other day When you were in town a-drinking, You drank a health to the ladies all around And slighted Barbara Allen?"
William regrets not having paid enough attention to Barbara when he was drinking with other ladies in town.


"O yes, I remember the other day When I was in town a-drinking, I drank a health to the ladies all around, But my love to Barbara Allen."
William recalls that when he was drinking in town, he toasted to all the ladies but expresses that he had a special liking towards Barbara.


He turned his pale face to the wall And death was in him dwelling; "Adieu, adieu, to my friends all, Be kind to Barbara Allen."
William turned his face to the wall, closing his eyes on his deathbed, and bid goodbye to everyone including his friends saying to be kind to Barbara Allen.


When she got in two miles of town She heard the death bells ringing: They rang so clear, as if to say "Hard-hearted Barbara Allen!"
When Barbara was two miles away from town, she hears the news about William's death when she hears the funeral bells ringing. The lyrics imply that she was hard-hearted and insensitive to William's feelings.


So she looked east and she looked west And saw the cold corpse coming, She says "Come round you nice young man And let me look upon you."
When William's funeral procession was coming towards town, Barbara goes and asks the corpse to come closer to her so she can have a look at him for the last time.


The more she looked the more she grieved Until she burst out crying "Perhaps I could have saved that young man's life Who now is here a-lying."
Barbara mourned a lot while seeing William's corpse and regretted not being able to save his life.


"O Mother, O Mother, come make my bed O make it both soft and narrow, For sweet William died to-day And I will die to-morrow."
Barbara asks her mother to prepare her bed since she will die soon after William's death.


"O Father, O Father, come dig my grave O dig it deep and narrow, For sweet William died in love And I will die in sorrow."
Barbara asks her father to dig her grave close to William's since he died in love for her while she will die due to her sorrow and regret of not having paid enough attention to William when he was still alive.


Sweet William was buried in the old church tomb, Barbara Allen was buried in the yard; Out of William's heart grew a red rose, Out of Barbara Allen's grew a brier.
William was buried in the church while Barbara in the yard. A red rose grew over William's grave while only a thorny brier over Barbara's grave, implying the contrast between William's deep love for Barbara to her indifference to her love for him.


They grew and grew to the old church tower And they could not grow any higher; And at the end tied a true lover's knot And the rose wrapped around the brier.
The two plants grew and the rose wrapped around the brier, symbolizing love even after death.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: J BAIRD, TRADITIONAL, PD TRADITIONAL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Trombonology Erstwhile

Despite the decidedly somber tone of this story, the Brown orch. takes the ballad in a major key, and young Doris, in the first of two stints with the band, delivers a rather lighthearted account of the proceedings. Barbara's own death, following that of the young man,, is omitted here, as we might expect. We can appreciate a distinctive sound and beautiful diction that would brighten the world in the coming years.

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