Come all you fair and tender girls That flourish in your prime Beware, beware, keep your garden fair Let no man steal your thyme Let no man steal your thyme
For when your thyme, it is past and gone He'll care no more for you And every place your time was waste Will all spread over with rue Will all spread over with rue
The gardner son was standing by Three flowers he gave to me The pink, the blue and the violet true And the red, red rosy tree And the red, red rosy tree
But I refused the red rose bush And gave the willow tree That all the world may plainly see How my love slighted me How my love slighted me