Thursday, October 25, 2007

Bobby Darin - 'Artificial Flowers'



I have posted about this song before, but ZFS has a post today about how dark a Dolly Parton song is.

I think this one is a tad worse.

Her parents are dead, she gets by making fake flowers out of her 'despair', and then they find her dead and frozen!

The lyrics:

'Alone in the world was poor little Anne
As sweet a young child as you'd find.
Her parents had gone to their final reward
Leavin' their baby behind.

(Did you hear?)
This poor little child was only nine years of age
when mother and dad went away;
Still she brav-el-y worked
At the one thing she knew
to earn her few pennies a day.

She made artificial flowers, artificial flowers,
Flowers for ladies of fashion to wear;
She made artificial flowers, you know those artificial flowers,
Fashioned from Annie's despair.

With paper and shears, with some wire and wax
She made up each tulip and 'mum.
As snowflakes drifted into her tenement room
Her baby little fingers grew numb.

From makin' artificial flowers, those artificial flowers
Flowers for ladies of high fashion to wear.
She made artificial flowers, artificial flowers
Made from Annie's despair.

They found little Annie all covered with ice
Still clutchin' her poor frozen shears
Amidst all the blossoms she had fashioned by hand
And watered with all her young tears.

There must be a heaven where little Annie can play
In heavenly gardens and bowers.
And instea-a-ad of a halo she'll wear 'round her head
A garland of genuine flowers.

No more artificial flowers;
Throw away those artificial flowers,
Flowers for ladies of society to wear.
Throw away those artificial flowers,
Those dum-dum flowers,
Fashioned from Annie's,
Fashioned from A-a-a-annie's
Des-pa-a-a-air.
(Give her the real thing!)'

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4 Comments:

Blogger Howard said...

No way! I have this heart-breaking version by The Beautiful South on their Blue Is The Colour album. I knew they didn't write it, but I didn't know how old it was.

October 25, 2007  
Blogger Howard said...

OMG, the Bobby Darin version is awful -- completely missing the sadness of the song. Ugh.

October 25, 2007  
Blogger Big Daddy said...

Didn't know The South did a version.

October 25, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

TBS version is certainly more emotional that Darins rather jazzy version, but heck, love them both. Likewise was suprised at how old the song is.

October 27, 2007  

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