Notes

*Some people sing "diddle, diddle" instead of "dilly, dilly".

*****

Here's a version that's often sung today:

Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green,
When I am king, dilly, dilly, you shall be queen.
Who told you so, dilly, dilly, who told you so?
'Twas my own heart, dilly, dilly, that told me so.

Call up your men, dilly, dilly, set them to work
Some with a rake, dilly, dilly, some with a fork.
Some to make hay, dilly, dilly, some to thresh corn.
While you and I, dilly, dilly, keep ourselves warm.

Lavender's green, dilly, dilly, lavender's blue,
If you love me, dilly, dilly, I will love you.
Let the birds sing, dilly, dilly, and the lambs play;
We shall be safe, dilly, dilly, out of harm's way.

I love to dance, dilly, dilly, I love to sing;
When I am queen, dilly, dilly, you'll be my king.
Who told me so, dilly, dilly, who told me so?
I told myself, dilly, dilly, I told me so.

*****

Here's the version from The Only True Mother Goose Melodies (published and copyrighted in Boston in 1833 by Munroe & Francis):

Lavender blue, and Rosemary green,
When I am king, you shall be queen,
Call up my maids at four of the clock,
Some to the wheel, and some to the rock,
Some to make hay, and some to shell corn,
And you and I shall keep the bed warm.

*****

Kim wrote:

Hi! I love your site, anytime I start humming a song and want to sing to my little boys, but can't quite remember the words, you're where I go! Anyway,I did want to say, on "Lavender's Blue," I learned it and it was passed through our family, as:

"Call up your friends,
Dilly dilly,
Set them to work,
Some to the plow,
Dilly dilly,
Some to the Hearth"

I don't know if it is just the way it was in my family, because all of my friends and their families had never heard of it. I was just wondering if you had heard of it this way before?

Thank you! Kim

There is a version like Kim's:

Lavender's Blue

Lavender's blue, dilly dilly,
Lavender's green
When you are King, dilly dilly,
I shall be Queen.

Who told you so, dilly dilly,
Who told you so?
'Twas my own heart, dilly dilly,
That told me so.

Call up your friends, dilly, dilly
Set them to work
Some to the plough, dilly dilly,
Some to the fork.

Some to the hay, dilly dilly,
Some to thresh corn
Whilst you and I, dilly dilly,
Keep ourselves warm.

Lavender's blue, dilly dilly,
Lavender's green
When you are King, dilly dilly,
I shall be Queen.

Who told you so, dilly dilly,
Who told you so?
'Twas my own heart, dilly dilly,
That told me so.

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Many thanks to Susan Pomerantz for playing this tune on piano.

Download MIDI Tune

Thanks and Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Joanne for letting us know how she sang Lavender's Blue. The 2nd illustration comes from The Baby's Opera by Walter Crane (circa 1877), with a bit of editing by Mama Lisa.

Thanks so much!