Sweet Violets

Sweet Violets

"Sweet Violets" is a folk song with humorously surprising lyrics. The song consists mainly of couplets, except that the last word of each couplet, which can generally be inferred from a combination of context and the ostensible rhyming scheme, is instead cut off by the start of the next couplet or by the chorus. The chorus is from the song "Sweet Violets" by Joseph Emmet, from his 1882 play "Fritz Among the Gypsies". The following excerpt from the song is an example of the style: "There once was a farmer who took a young miss / In back of the barn where he gave her a-- / Lecture on horses and chickens and eggs..." The anticipated word "kiss" is replaced by "lecture..."

It was recorded by Dinah Shore (1951), and also by Jane Turzy. The Dinah Shore version was arranged by Cy Coben and Charles Grean. It was recorded in the early part of 1951, and released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-4174 (78rpm) and 47-4174 (45rpm). It reached #3 on the Billboard magazine charts. The song (in all its versions, combined) reached #1 on the Cash Box magazine best-seller chart.

Numerous versions exist in which the implied lyrics are more risquee.


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