Fatal Flower Garden
Nelstone's Hawaiians Lyrics
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It rained so hard all day
Then all the boys in our school
Came out to toss and play
They tossed a ball again so high
Then again so low
They tossed it into a flower garden
Up stepped a gypsy lady
All dressed in yellow and green
"Come in, come in my pretty little boy
And get your ball again"
"I won't come in, I shan't come in
Without my playmates all
I'll go to my father and tell him about it
That'll cause tears to fall"
She first showed him an apple seed
Then again gold rings
Then she showed him a diamond
That enticed him in
She took him by his lily-white hand
She led him through the hall
She put him in an upper room
Where no-one could hear him call
"Oh, take these finger rings off of my fingers
Smoke them with your breath
If any of my friends should call for me
Tell them that I'm at rest"
"Bury the bible at my head
A testament at my feet
If my dear mother should call for me
Tell her that I'm asleep"
"Bury the bible at my feet
A testament at my head
If my dear father should call for me
Tell him that I am dead"
The song 'Fatal Flower Garden' by Nelstone's Hawaiians is a cautionary tale warning young boys not to be enticed by strangers, specifically gypsy women. The lyrics describe a group of boys playing in the rain, tossing a ball around. They accidentally throw it into a flower garden where a gypsy woman calls out to them, inviting them in to retrieve it. The singer of the song, a young boy, is hesitant to enter without his friends, but when the gypsy woman shows him an apple seed, gold rings, and finally a diamond, he is lured into her lair.
Once inside, the boy is led to an upper room where he is trapped and ultimately killed. He instructs the gypsy woman to bury his bible at his feet and his testament at his head if his father or mother come looking for him. The song is mournful and eerie, warning listeners of the dangers of being lured away by strangers.
Line by Line Meaning
It rained, it poured, it rained so hard
Heavy rainfall persisted for an extended period
It rained so hard all day
The rain lasted throughout the day
Then all the boys in our school
The schoolboys emerged
Came out to toss and play
Playing games outside
They tossed a ball again so high
They threw the ball high up
Then again so low
And then threw it low
They tossed it into a flower garden
The ball was thrown into a garden of flowers
Where no one was allowed to go
Which was off-limits to others
Up stepped a gypsy lady
Then appeared a woman from a nomadic tribe
All dressed in yellow and green
Wearing clothes of these colors
"Come in, come in my pretty little boy
She invited him inside
And get your ball again"
To retrieve the ball that he had thrown
"I won't come in, I shan't come in
He declined the offer
Without my playmates all
Asking for his friends to be included
I'll go to my father and tell him about it
Deciding to speak to his father instead
That'll cause tears to fall"
Expecting a pessimistic outcome
She first showed him an apple seed
The woman presented an apple seed to him initially
Then again gold rings
Following it up with rings made of gold
Then she showed him a diamond
Finally revealing a diamond
That enticed him in
Which intrigued him and persuaded him to enter
She took him by his lily-white hand
She held his hand
She led him through the hall
She guided him through the building
She put him in an upper room
The woman brought him upstairs
Where no-one could hear him call
The location was isolated
"Oh, take these finger rings off of my fingers
He requested to remove the rings from his fingers
Smoke them with your breath
With the intention of hiding any evidence of theft
If any of my friends should call for me
If his friends come looking for him
Tell them that I'm at rest"
To deceive his friends about his whereabouts
"Bury the bible at my head
He then instructed her to bury the Bible
A testament at my feet
Along with the testament
If my dear mother should call for me
If his mother inquires about him
Tell her that I'm asleep"
To lie and claim that he is sleeping
"Bury the bible at my feet
He then changed his instructions
A testament at my head
Asking for the Bible to be buried at his feet and the testament at his head
If my dear father should call for me
In case his father comes looking for him
Tell him that I am dead"
Falsely declaring that he had passed away
Contributed by William Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@kathrynb.6366
I heard this song in an antique shop YEARS ago, and it struck 12-ish-old me stone still as I listened. Years pass and my memory fades, I only know one or two lyrics ("If any of my friends should call for me, tell them that I'm at rest" and "If my dear father should call for me, tell him that I am dead") and sometimes I would scour the internet trying to find this song again.
Well obviously I'm here, so you can know that I have succeeded
@fractuss
Thx for the story.
@kov6262
It’s just beautiful. Can’t put my finger on why…..it just is
@deannalebrun654
I used to have a huge collection of the Folkway/Smithsonian albums. I also became a fan of Steel eye Span. Having no education of this I was shocked by their song Little Sir Hugh. It's a lot of the same words.
I later found out about The Childe Ballad series. It just amazed me that a song from the mountains was the same as an English song.
@JAZZHOBO
I have 3 Childe Ballads editons and marvel at lucky I discovered them 1990 I was deep into performing old time music
@fractuss
I love the same stuff. Maddy Prior is still my favorite singer.
@hallin9561
Beautiful, still watching this 2020 March
@kitspics526
Ty for lyrics in the drop down👍
@charlesbrenner2867
crazy great music!
@sourisvoleur4854
This is a Child Ballad (#155) and the basic song dates back to the 13th century!