Wild Wood Amber
Sam Lee Lyrics


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All the fire’s
Climbing at walls in the white wood
And the pink and wild roses
All around us they stood
And you took off your apron
And sheltered me
Lovely Johnny
Oh lovely Johnny
What has altered your mind

And all the colour of amber of my love’s hair
And it’s two blue eyes
They enticed me
And his ruby lips
They being soft and fine
For many’s the time they were
Pressed to mine

Oh i’ll go fishing in yonder’s brook
And i’ll catch my love
With a line and a hook
And if he loves me as I love him
No man on earth can cut us in two
Lovely Johnny
Lovely Johnny do you remember the time
When you promised you’d marry me
Above all womankind
You pulled of your apron
Sheltered me from all wind
Lovely Johnny
Lovely Johnny
What has altered your mind
Oh i wish, i wish
But it’s all in vain

And i wish to God
I’m a maiden again
But a maiden again
I will never more be
Til apples grow on an orange tree

For these apples are ripe
But they soon get rotten
A young man’s heart
It soon grows cold
What car i for the world of pleasure
All i want is an honest young man

Lovely Johnny
Lovely Johnny
What has altered your mind
When you’d promise you’d marry me
Above all womankind
And you pulled off your apron
Sheltered me from all wind
Lovely Johnny




Lovely Johnny
What has altered your mind

Overall Meaning

The Wild Wild Berry is a hauntingly beautiful folk song that tells the story of unrequited love and betrayal. The song begins with imagery of a wild forest fire encroaching on the singer and their lover. The fire represents the passion between the two and the danger of it burning out of control. However, the lover takes off their apron and shelters the singer from the fire, showing their care and love for them. The chorus asks what has altered Lovely Johnny's mind, hinting that something has changed between them.


The second verse focuses on the singer's love for their partner and how they were attracted to their physical features. However, the repetition of the chorus highlights the confusion and hurt the singer feels because Johnny has seemingly changed his mind about their relationship. The singer longs for things to go back to the way they were when Johnny promised to marry them above all other women.


The final verse is a lament of the singer's situation. They wish they could be a maiden again, free from the heartbreak that comes with love. But the reality is that once a woman gives herself to a man, she cannot become pure again. The stanza ends with the singer accepting that young men's hearts are fickle, and all they want is an honest man. The final chorus asks again, what has altered Lovely Johnny's mind, highlighting the confusion and despair of the singer.


Overall, The Wild Wild Berry is a poignant song about love and betrayal, beautifully sung by Sam Lee and accompanied by Daniel Pemberton's haunting score.


Line by Line Meaning

All the fire’s
The flames are burning brightly


Climbing at walls in the white wood
The fire is spreading up the walls of the white woods


And the pink and wild roses
The roses around us are pink and wild


All around us they stood
The roses stood all around us


And you took off your apron
You removed your apron


And sheltered me
You protected me from the fire


Lovely Johnny
Addressing the person named Johnny in an affectionate way


Oh lovely Johnny
Continued address to Johnny with affection


What has altered your mind
Asking Johnny what has caused his change in behavior or thinking


And all the colour of amber of my love’s hair
Describing the color of the artist's love's hair as amber


And it’s two blue eyes
Describing the color of the singer's love's eyes as blue


They enticed me
The eyes of the artist's love attracted and tempted the artist


And his ruby lips
Describing the color of the singer's love's lips as ruby


They being soft and fine
The lips of the singer's love are soft and delicate


For many’s the time they were
The singer has shared kisses with their love many times


Pressed to mine
The artist's love has kissed the artist multiple times


Oh i’ll go fishing in yonder’s brook
The artist plans to go fishing in the nearby brook


And i’ll catch my love
The singer is hoping to catch their love through fishing


With a line and a hook
Using traditional fishing equipment to catch their love


And if he loves me as I love him
If the artist's love returns their love, their love will not be broken


No man on earth can cut us in two
No one can come between their love


Oh i wish, i wish
The artist expresses a desire


But it’s all in vain
The singer understands that their wish is unlikely to come true


And i wish to God
The artist reinforces their wish by calling upon God


I’m a maiden again
The singer wishes to be a maiden again


But a maiden again
The singer acknowledges that they cannot be a maiden again


I will never more be
The singer has accepted that they cannot return to their past state


Til apples grow on an orange tree
The artist believes that something very unlikely will have to happen before they can return to their past state


For these apples are ripe
Referring to the current state of the apples, which are ready for picking


But they soon get rotten
The apples will not remain fresh for long


A young man’s heart
Referring to the heart of a young man


It soon grows cold
A young man's heart can grow cold quickly


What car i for the world of pleasure
The artist is not interested in worldly pleasures


All i want is an honest young man
The artist desires an honest, trustworthy man


When you’d promise you’d marry me
Reminiscing about Johnny's promises of marriage


Above all womankind
Johnny promised to marry the artist instead of anyone else


And you pulled off your apron
Describing Johnny's actions of removing his apron


Sheltered me from all wind
Johnny protected the singer from any wind that may have been blowing


What has altered your mind
Asking Johnny what has caused his change in behavior or thinking


Lovely Johnny
Addressing the person named Johnny in an affectionate way


Lovely Johnny
Continued address to Johnny with affection


What has altered your mind
Asking Johnny what has caused his change in behavior or thinking




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Gerry Driver, Samuel Lee

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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