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The Trees They Grow Tall

from A Rose From My Mother's Garden by Ruth Cooke

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This is an old ballad which for some reason never made it into the famous ballad collection of Professor Child. Despite the fact that the life of the lady’s young husband is cut short by cruel death, somehow the overall feel of the song seems to me to be lifted by the repetition of “growing”, and eventually she sees that her son is “the fairest of them all” just as her young love had been. Life goes on.

lyrics

Lyrics

The trees they grow tall
And the leaves they do grow green,
Many’s the time my true love I’ve seen;
Many’s the time I’ve watched him all alone
He’s young but he’s daily growing.

Oh father dear father,
You’ve done to me great wrong;
You’ve married me to a boy who is too young;
I am twice twelve, and he is but fourteen,
He’s young but he’s daily growing.

Well daughter dear daughter,
I’ve done to you no wrong,
I’ve married you to a great lord’s son.
He’ll be a man to you when I am dead and gone,
He’s young but he’s daily growing.

Well father dear father, if you do see fi t
We’ll send him to college for one year yet;
I’ll tie the green ribbons all around his hat
To let the maidens know that he’s married.

One day she’s looking o’er her father’s castle wall,
She spies all the boys a-playing at the ball
Her own true love was the flower of them all
He’s young but he’s daily growing.

It’s one fine morning all in the month of May
That’s when they went to the meadows for to play
And it’s what they’ve done there
She would never say
But she nevermore complained of his growing.

At the age of fifteen he was a married man,
At the age of sixteen the father of a son,
At the age of seventeen
His grave it did grow green
For death had put an end to his growing.

I’ll make my love a shroud of Holland oh so fi ne,
Every stitch I put in it
The tears come trickling down,
And I will mourn my true love until the day I die
But I’ll watch o’er his child while he’s growing.

For now my love is dead and in his grave does lie,
The green grass grows over him so very very high,
I never shall forget him until the day I die
And I’ll watch all o’er his child while he’s growing

One day she’s looking o’er her father’s castle wall,
She spies all the boys there a-playing at the ball;
Her own dear son is the fl ower of them all
He’s young but he’s daily growing

credits

from A Rose From My Mother's Garden, released October 12, 2019
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Ruth Cooke image

Ruth Cooke UK

Wbsite: www.ruthcooke.com
Ruth has been writing and performing songs for many years now but has mostly been too busy living to record anything!
She is mostly to be found at folk clubs and festivals or at small gatherings and round campfires - although she wouldn’t say no to a small stadium!
She loves singarounds wherever they may be and is a regular floor singer at Lewes Saturday Folk Club. ... more

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