How many of you immediately thought of the next line in this song? Anyone…Bueller? Bueller?
I can’t recall when and where I learned this song, but I must have been a little tyke because I can’t remember. Years passed without thinking much of the song. Then, “BAM!” the first year after I graduated from college I became a garden writer. The song floated back into my mind and resurfaces often, like a childhood friend.
In case you haven’t heard the song, here are the lyrics:
White coral bells upon a slender stalk,
Lily-of-the-valley deck my garden walk.
Oh don’t you wish that you could hear them ring?
That will only happen when the fairies sing.
Most people today would call coral bells a heuchera. Their slender stalks of flowers don’t have quite enough oomph to capture modern-day fashion. Instead plant breeders developed mounds upon mounds of colorful leaves that will put on a show in your garden way longer than the flowers ever bloomed.
But, I still want to call them coral bells even if they have pitiful flowers. Plus, the word “heuchera” sounds like you have a hair ball in your throat.
I’m aware that many people consider lily-of-the-valley to be an invasive groundcover. These well-intentioned people are intent on killing every last lily-of-the-valley in their garden. The plants you grow are a reflection of yourself. These people value order and tidiness.
But, lily-of-the-valley smell glorious and I let them spread more than I should in my garden.
I draw a line in the sand, holding tight to the fanciful vision of coral bells and lilies-of-the-valley in my mind’s eye. Our childhood dreams are mirrors of our happiness. As we become adults, we often put away childish dreams, and then let responsibilities take their place.
Paying bills and taxes aren’t happiness. Flowers are happiness.
I can never expect the fairies to sing if I don’t leave some coral bells and lily-of-the-valley in my garden. Do you have a plant that evokes childhood memories? Share yours in the comments!
Thank you for commenting on this song which is has always stayed with me all of my life.I sang this song in a 4th. Grade song book. I remembered all the 1st. Verse, and I am 76. My little sister died with colon cancer at 5yrs. old. It broke my heart, in the song where it said fairies sing I changed the words to when Kay Simmons sing. I never forgot this song or the tune. I am a Christian and I will see her again in Heaven.
Thanks for sharing your close connection to this song. What a special bond to have with your sister.💞
At 87, my fondest memories in my tiny garden are of picking lilies of the valley with my granddaughters and together singing this tune. They are in their 20’s & 30’s now but they still recall our times together singing the tune and smelling those glorious little flowers.
What a wonderful memory to have with your granddaughters.
I thought I sang White Coral Bells when I was a child. But that was in the 1960’s. I saw information on the internet this song wasn’t made until 1975! Was that maybe a misprint for 1875? Or some other song with that name maybe? I must have sang it long before 1975! I have most of the words memorized, except not remembering if angels or fairies had to sing to get the bells to ring when I think of this song.
I agree, this song is older than 1975.🎶😇🧚
I remember that lovely song from my Nova Scotia childhood in the 1950’s. We learned it in school and I used to sing it to my younger sister. I’m 82 now and still sing it from time to time
This song was around long before 1975. Both my mother, who was born in 1934 and grandmother, born in 1911, remember singing it when they were children.
The original song refers to Bright coral bells, meaning pink lilies of the valley.
I was singing this song just today when I planted some lilies of the valley in the backyard!!!!! Thanks for this wonderful song which comes from my childhood many years ago!!!!!!
I’m glad to hear it brings happy memories for you, too!
I am 90 years old and often hum the tune. Today I passed the lyrics to our daughter-in-law with offer to get some seedling starts for her. I learned the tune in early grade school so it probably will not have much meaning for our dear daughter in law.
It is a catchy tune. Maybe it will develop a special meaning to her since you shared the song. Especially if she starts to grow some of her own.
Google confidently misinforms the curious that the song “originated” in a 1975 Girl Guides publication, and there doesn’t seem to be any way of correcting this clearly erroneous claim.
I learned this song as a high school freshman in choir in 1966. It was a great choice for us to learn by rote. This week we were camping and I taught it to my 10-year-old granddaughter. We were able to sing it as a round together. ❤️
Anne,
What a good idea to sing it as a round. I’m glad you passed it along to your granddaughter.
I am in my sixties and remember singing it in grade school. We sang it in rounds as well. Every time my sister and I would see these sweet little flowers we would sing it.
Fond memories! I imagine in spring a whole bunch of us are humming and singing right along.
This song came to mind for me the other day when discussing the color “coral” with a friend. It struck me that coral is not at all the color of lilies of the valley (which I love) and that perhaps it was intended to be white CHORAL bells, as in ringing bells. Anyone have some input? I also recall this song from my childhood, and it was, indeed, sung in rounds.
The song could be referring to 2 different plants, lily-of-the-valley and coral bells.
Coral bells is another name for heuchera. Years ago, heuchera were grown for their coral-colored flowers, but some heuchera have white flowers on long stems above the leaves. So maybe that is what “white coral bells” refers to in the song. In recent years, people grow heucheras for their colorful leaves and the name “coral bells” has fallen out of favor.
What a surprise I googled Coralbells, the poem and there was the song we learned in second grade at Ragsdale Elementary school in Atlanta I’m 80 now and that song still rattles around in my head.
I happened to be outside just now, puttering around my flowers. I found myself humming White Coral Bells. This seems the perfect time of year. I think it might be fun to have it printed in our Senior Newsletter. So I looked online for the name of the song writer. No luck there, but I did find your blog. Thank you for posting. I am 77 years old. I remember singing this song in 3rd grade.
Wonderful! It will be a nice conversation starter if readers of the Senior Newsletter also know the song.
I learned this song at 6yrs of age in 1948 when I went with my sisters to their Girl Scout meetings. My new great granddaughter was just born a week ago and was named Lillian. They will call her Lily as I was called growing up. I just reminded my sister (91 yrs) of the song. I sang it over the phone to her and she was thrilled to remember it!! Lily of the Valley has always been my favorite flower but unfortunately they don’t grow here in Florida.
Hi Lillian,
Congratulations on your new great granddaughter! And what fun that it reminded you and your sister of the song.
This song holds very special meaning to me. I sang this to my daughter when she was a baby, especially when she had a hard time falling asleep. It is a sort of dreamy song and very old fashioned which we love, there is comfort in the tune and words. She is now pregnant and will most definately sing this to her baby as will I. My mother sang this to me as a child and her grandmother sang it to her. This would take us into the 1890’s. It is a very old, beloved song!!
Congratulations on your grand baby. That’s wonderful that your family has passed along the song as a lullaby. What a lasting impression the song has made!