Lavender

[Track Info] [The Lyrics] [Explanation]

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Lavender - Track Info

  1. Album version (02:28) [Misplaced Childhood (1985)]
  2. 7" version (03:41) [7", 12" Lavender (1985)]
  3. Lavender Blue (04:18) [12" Lavender (1985)]
  4. Live (St. Goar, Germany - "Freilichtbuhne Loreley", July 18th '87) (02:33) [Live At Loreley (1987)]
  5. Live (London, England - "Hammersmith Odeon", January 9/10th '86) (02:27) [The Thieving Magpie - La Gazza Ladra (1988)]

    Notes: The studio album version and live versions are joined to Kayleigh (which comes before) with a brief piano part, and Bitter Suite (which comes after). 2) is longer than the album version: it has a third extra strophe after the first two ("Lavender dreams, dilly dilly Lavender true - When you miss me dilly dilly I can miss you - A penny for your thoughts my dear..."), a longer instrumental section with some more verses ("Oh, I’m going back to you - Gotta find my way back to you - For your love...") and an added finale ("I’m always walking in the park - Always dreaming of a spark - From you"). 3) lacks the piano intro (starts with the verse "I was walking in the park..."); it has a lighter instrumental part on the first strophe and the first refrain; it has three extra instrumental parts: between the first refrain and the second, between the second refrain and the guitar solo, and a longer guitar solo; it has the same finale of 2), but only instrumental. Live versions follow studio album version. 4) has additional backing vocals by Cori Josias; before the refrain, Fish incites the audience saying "This is for you... and I could hear them singing, singing", and then he lets them sing some verses ("Lavender blue", "I.O.U. for your love" etc.).

    Lyrics by Derek William Dick (Fish)
    Performed Live for the first Time: May 26th 1985

    Published by Marillion Music, Charisma Music Publishing Co. Ltd., Chappell Music Ltd.

Lavender - The Lyrics

I was walking in the park dreaming of a spark
When I heard the sprinklers whisper,
Shimmer in the haze of summer lawns.
Then I heard the children singing,
They were running through the rainbows.
They were singing a song for you.
Well it seemed to be a song for you,
The one I wanted to write for you, for you, you.

Lavenders blue, dilly dilly, lavenders green,
When I am King, dilly dilly,
You will be Queen.
A penny for your thoughts my dear,
A penny for your thoughts my dear,
I.O.U. for your love, I.O.U. for your love.

Lavenders green, dilly dilly, lavenders blue.
When you love me, dilly dilly, I will love you.
A penny for your thoughts my dear,
A penny for your thoughts my dear,
I.O.U. for your love, I.O.U. for your love.

Lavender dreams dilly, dilly lavender true,
When you miss me dilly dilly, I did miss you
A penny for your thoughts my dear
A Penny for your thoughts my dear
I.O.U for your love, I.O.U. for your love
For your love, for your love, for your love

Oh, I gotta find my way back to you
Gotta find my way back to you
For your love, for your love, for your love

I'm always walking in the park
Always dreaming of a spark
From you...

In the album version the purple coloured parts are missing.


EXPLANATION OF SONF ELEMENTS
Copyright © 1997 Fraser Marshall, Matthew Anderson & Bert ter Steege.

Lavender

‘General Info’
Fish (The Funny Farm Interview - July '95, Dick Bros) said: Going through parks listening to Joni Mitchell, Lavender is the little boy's dream about you can walk through the park and bump into the lady of your dreams that you're going to fall instantaneously in love with.

‘Lavenders Blue... will be Queen’
This is a direct quote from an old English nursery rhyme, it goes like this it from a German Server:

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?
'T was 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.

Sources:

Last Modified: 27 jul 2000