"And the Green Grass Grew All Around", also known as "The Green Grass Grew All Around" or "And the Green Grass Grows All Around", is a traditional Appalachian

folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

that was first noted in 1877 in Miss M. H. Mason's book ''Nursery Rhymes and Country Songs'', but is likely to be much older. Some sources give the author as

William Jerome William Jerome Flannery (September 30, 1865 – June 25, 1932) was an American songwriter, born in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York, of Irish immigrant parents: Mary Donnellan and Patrick Flannery. He collaborated with numerous well-known composer ...

Axford, Elizabeth C. (2004). Scarecrow Press. page 20. and the melody by

Harry Von Tilzer Harry Von Tilzer (born Aaron Gumbinsky, also known as Harry Gumm; 8 July 1872 – 10 January 1946) was an American composer, songwriter, publisher and vaudeville performer. Early life Von Tilzer was born in Detroit, Michigan. His parents, Sarah ...

Egan, Bill (2004) . Scarecrow Press. page 16. in 1912. As a popular classic

children's song A children's song may be a nursery rhyme set to music, a song that children invent and share among themselves or a modern creation intended for entertainment, use in the home or education. Although children's songs have been recorded and studie ...

today, it is an example of a

cumulative song A cumulative song is a song with a simple verse structure modified by progressive addition so that each verse is longer than the verse before. Cumulative songs are popular for group singing, in part because they require relatively little memoriz ...

. It is similar to the Irish folk song '' The Rattlin' Bog'', and versions exist in many other cultures and under many titles. A version of the song features in the ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British Mystery fiction, mystery television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the ''Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series created by Caroline Graham (writer), Caroline Graham. ...

'' episode "Small Mercies
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References

{{authority control American children's songs Songs about plants Cumulative songs 1877 songs Songs with music by Harry Von Tilzer Songs with lyrics by William Jerome]
"The Green Grass Grows All Around", Louis Jordan And His Tympany Five on The Internet Archive