Tuning: E A D G B E

Lavender's Blue Burl Ives [Verse]

^DLavender b^Alue, dilly, dilly ^GLavender ^Dgreen ^GIf you were k^Ding, dilly, dilly ^AYou'd need a queen

[Verse]

^DWho told me ^Aso, dilly, dilly ^GWho told me ^Dso ^GI told mys^Delf, dilly, dilly ^GI told ^Ame s^Do ^D7

[Bridge]

^GIf your dilly, dilly heart Feels a^GM dilly, dilly way And ^Dif you answer, ^D7yes ^AIn a pretty little church Dsus (2323) On a dilly, dilly day ^Bm7I'll be ^E7wed in a ^Adilly, dilly ^A7dress

[Verse]

Of ^DLavender b^Alue, dilly, dilly ^GLavender ^Dgreen ^GThen you'll be ^Dking, dilly, dilly And I^G'll be ^A7your ^Dqueen

[Interlude]

^DGreat-grandfather met g^Great grandmother When ^Dshe was a shy young ^Amiss And g^Dreat-grandfather won g^Great-grandmother With ^Dwords more or less like t^A7his

[Verse]

^DLavender ^Ablue, dilly, dilly ^GLavender ^Dgreen ^GIf you were ^Dking, dilly, dilly You ^A7need a queen ^DWho told you s^Ao, dilly, dilly ^GWho told you ^Dso ^GI told m^Dyself, dilly, dilly ^GI told ^A7me s^Do

[Bridge]

^GIf your dilly, dilly heart Feels a^GM dilly, dilly way And ^Dif you answer, ^D7yes ^AIn a pretty little church Dsus (2323) On a dilly, dilly day ^Bm7YOU'll b^E7e wed in a ^Adilly, dilly ^A7dress

[Verse]

^DLavender ^Ablue, dilly, dilly ^GLavender ^Dgreen ^GThen you'll be k^Ding, dilly, dilly ^GAnd ^EmI'll b^Ae ^A7Your que^Den ^G ^D

The earliest surviving version of the song is in a broadside printed in England between 1672 and 1679, under the name Diddle Diddle, Or The Kind Country Lovers. The broadside indicates it is to be sung to the tune of "Lavender Green", implying that a tune by that name was already in existence. The lyrics printed in the broadside are fairly bawdy, celebrating sex and drinking. The Burl Ives version featured in the film So Dear to My Heart was released in 1949. Dinah Shore also released a version in 1949 which went to No 1 on the Australian chart. It was the title track of her album Lavender Blue.

Burl Ives - Lavenders blue