They began writing and recording their own music in 1956, and their first hit song came in 1957, with "Bye Bye Love", written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant. The song hit No. 1 in the spring of 1957, and additional hits would follow through 1958, many of them written by the Bryants, including "Wake Up Little Susie", "All I Have to Do Is Dream", and "Problems". In 1960, they signed with the major label Warner Bros. Records and recorded "Cathy's Clown", written by the brothers themselves, which was their biggest selling single. The brothers enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve in 1961, and their output dropped off, though additional hit singles continued through 1962, with "That's Old Fashioned (That's the Way Love Should Be)" being their last top-10 hit.
Long-simmering disputes with Wesley Rose, the CEO of Acuff-Rose Music, which managed the group, a growing drug usage in the 1960s, as well as changing tastes in popular music, led to the group's decline in popularity in its native U.S., though the brothers continued to release hit singles in the U.K. and Canada, and had many highly successful tours throughout the 1960s. In the early 1970s, the brothers began releasing solo recordings, and in 1973 they officially broke up. Starting in 1983, the brothers got back together, and would continue to perform periodically until Phil's death in 2014. Don died seven years later.
The group was highly influential on the music of the generation that followed it. Many of the top acts of the 1960s were heavily influenced by the close-harmony singing and acoustic guitar playing of the Everly Brothers, including the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Bee Gees, and Simon & Garfunkel. In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked the Everly Brothers No. 1 on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class of 1986, and into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001. Don was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2019, earning the organization's first Iconic Riff Award for his distinctive rhythm guitar intro to the Everlys' massive 1957 hit "Wake Up Little Susie".
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Everly_Brothers
Down in the Willow Garden
The Everly Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where me and my love did meet
As we sat a-courtin'
My love fell off to sleep
I had a bottle of Burgundy wine
My love she did not know
So I poisoned that dear little girl
On the banks below
I drew a saber through her
It was a bloody knife
I threw her in the river
Which was a dreadful sign
My father often told me
That money would set me free
If I would murder that dear little girl
Whose name was Rose Connolly
My father sits at his cabin door
Wiping his tear-dimmed eyes
For his only son soon shall walk
To yonder scaffold high
My race is run, beneath the sun
The scaffold now waits for me
For I did murder that dear little girl
Whose name was Rose Connolly
The Everly Brothers' song, Down in the Willow Garden, is a haunting ballad that tells the tale of a man who murders the object of his affection, Rose Connolly. The lyrics recount how the man and his lover met in a willow garden while courting. The man, with a bottle of wine, secretly poisons his lover while she is asleep. He then draws a saber through her and throws her into the river. The man confesses that his father had encouraged him to commit the crime, promising that it would bring him wealth and freedom. In the end, the man is apprehended and sentenced to death, leaving his father to mourn his loss.
This song is a classic example of a murder ballad, a common genre in traditional folk music that tells the story of a violent crime. The tragic tale is full of symbolism and allegory. The willow garden represents a place of beauty and tranquility, but also serves as the setting for the horrific murder. The poison symbolizes the man's betrayal of his lover's trust, while the saber and the river serve as powerful images of violence and death.
The ballad's melody is a lovely and melancholic tune, perfectly matched to the dark and haunting lyrics. The Everly Brothers' version of the song, released in 1958, is particularly famous for its lush harmonies and spare acoustic arrangement.
Line by Line Meaning
Down in the Willow garden
In a quiet spot amongst the willow trees
Where me and my love did meet
Where I first fell in love with my significant other
As we sat a-courtin'
As we spent time getting to know each other
My love fell off to sleep
My love drifted off into slumber
I had a bottle of Burgundy wine
I had a bottle of red wine with me
My love she did not know
My love was unaware of the bottle and its contents
So I poisoned that dear little girl
I used the wine as a lethal weapon to harm my significant other
On the banks below
On the shore of the nearby river
I drew a saber through her
I used a sharp military sword to kill her
It was a bloody knife
The saber was covered in blood
I threw her in the river
I disposed of her body by throwing it into the river
Which was a dreadful sign
The act of disposing her body in the river was an indicator of something horrible done
My father often told me
My father gave me advice on the matter in the past
That money would set me free
My father advised me that money would absolve me of any crimes committed
If I would murder that dear little girl
If I would kill my lover
Whose name was Rose Connolly
The name of the victim was Rose Connolly
My father sits at his cabin door
My father at his residence
Wiping his tear-dimmed eyes
My father in a state of crying
For his only son soon shall walk
Because I am his only son who will be walking
To yonder scaffold high
Towards the high-platform gallows
My race is run, beneath the sun
My time on earth has ended
The scaffold now waits for me
The gallows has been set up for my execution
For I did murder that dear little girl
The reason for my punishment is that I killed Rose Connolly
Whose name was Rose Connolly
The victim was named Rose Connolly
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Charlie Monroe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@scottysays884
@E.A. de Ruiter Down in the Willow garden
Where me and my love did meet
As we sat a-courtin'
My love fell off to sleep
I had a bottle of Burgundy wine
My love she did not know
So I poisoned that dear little girl
On the banks below
I drew a sabre through her
It was a bloody knife
I threw her in the river
Which was a dreadful sign
My father often told me
That money would set me free
If I would murder that dear little girl
Whose name was Rose Connolly
My father sits at his cabin door
Wiping his tear-dimmed eyes
For his only son soon shall walk
To yonder scaffold high
My race is run, beneath the sun
The scaffold now waits for me
For I did murder that dear little girl
Whose name was Rose Connelly
@Tradebear
Lyrics
Down in the Willow garden
Where me and my love did meet
As we sat a-courtin'
My love fell off to sleep
I had a bottle of Burgundy wine
My love she did not know
So I poisoned that dear little girl
On the banks below
I drew a saber through her
It was a bloody knife
I threw her in the river
Which was a dreadful sign
My father often told me
That money would set me free
If I would murder that dear little girl
Whose name was Rose Connolly
My father sits at his cabin door
Wiping his tear-dimmed eyes
For his only son soon shall walk
To yonder scaffold high
My race is run, beneath the sun
The scaffold now waits for me
For I did murder that dear little girl
Whose name was Rose Connolly
@airborneassasin
Down in the Willow garden
Where me and my love did meet
As we sat a-courtin'
My love fell off to sleep
I had a bottle of Burgundy wine
My love she did not know
So I poisoned that dear little girl
On the banks below
I drew a sabre through her
It was a bloody knife
I threw her in the river
Which was a dreadful sign
My father often told me
That money would set me free
If I would murder that dear little girl
Whose name was Rose Connolly
My father sits at his cabin door
Wiping his tear-dimmed eyes
For his only son soon shall walk
To yonder scaffold high
My race is run, beneath the sun
The scaffold now waits for me
For I did murder that dear little girl
Whose name was Rose Connelly
@danx2234
I came here because The Everly Brothers have the best rendition to this classic. They killed it! Absolutely perfect!
@bunnybenchaim7027
100%
@charlescarranzainactiveacc3499
I used to chain smoke and cry to this song. Those were dark days, but times are different now and I will always appreciate this song.
@terilynnwells6263
good for you dark days are bad been there
@zloetakoe
sometimes you just need a song to match the mood. Glad things are better for you!
@scottysays884
Sharp Objects just wrecked me with this hauntingly beautiful song ... I had to hear it again .. WOW ... I don't know what I'm feeling but the song is so beautifully dark ... WHOA - great song to end that episode on
@salhanas1029
just watched Sharp Objects, recognized the voices but never had heard the song before. what a way to end the show.
@daLukasMain
Same. lol :-D
@Neocasturn
Classic/vintage murder ballads are some of the most mood altering music there is
@lainemccroskey9839
My dad's told me before that I should listen to The Everly Brothers. Had NO CLUE they were this good. Wow.