Here's a more complete version of Tiptoe Through The Tulips. (Joe would know that I have a passion for the music of Annette Hanshaw ~~ this is from her recording.) It seemed to me to fit best in six lines per verse rather than four, so I put it down that way.

Tiptoe Through The Tulips
(words-Al Dubin; music-Joe Burke)
as sung by Annette Hanshaw, 9-20-1929 on Harmony, a Columbia label.

Shades of night are creeping
Willow trees are weeping
Old folks and babies are sleeping
Silver stars are gleaming
All alone I'm scheming
Scheming to get you out here my dear.

Come tiptoe to the window
Where the window that is where I'll be
Come tiptoe through the tulips with me
Tiptoe from your pillow
To the shadow of a willow tree
And tiptoe through the tulips with me.

Knee deep in flowers we'll stray
We'll keep the showers away
And if I kiss you in the garden
In the moonlight
Will you pardon me
Come tiptoe through the tulips with me.

Tiptoe to the window
By the window that is where I'll be
Come tiptoe through the tulips with me
Tiptoe from your pillow
To the shadow of a willow tree
And tiptoe through the tulips with me.

Just knee deep in flowers we'll stray
And we'll keep the April showers away
And if I kiss you in the garden
In the moonlight
Will you pardon me
Come tiptoe through the tulips . . .
tip, tiptoe through the tulips with me.

That's all!

Notes: Her singing WHERE rather than BY in the first chorus is likely a slip up, but I transcribed it exactly as she sang it. THAT'S ALL! is a phrase that she used at the end of her very first recording when she was not quite 16, and the producers thought it was so cute that they made her do it on her later recordings. It took her years to get rid of it!

Here a couple of sound files:

This is the Jean Goldkette big band version mentioned by Joe, courtesy of redhotjazz.com ~~ a VERY good jazz site, by the way, with many, many sound files by all the big names from the 20s and 30s. They just do the lyrics as given by Joe by an unnamed vocalist , the band definitely taking top billing.

And here is the version by Annette Hanshaw Annette's version is a fairly simple arrangement with the vocal being the top priority. After a band into of just a few seconds, it has just a single guitar backing with the band well in the background except for the instrumental breaks, then switches to a piano accompaniment in the latter half. Very nice! If you cannot get this RA to play ~~ it is extremely slow to load with much buffering ~~ send me a message, or leave a note here, and I will be glad to send the RA to you personally via Email.

It comes from this site dedicated to Annette Hanshaw, but I have to warn you that it is clunky and slow. I wanted to hear and see all they had there, so I took the time. It was worthwhile for me, you might not think so. Nice picture of her on the front page!

You'll also find info and a LOT of Annette Hanshaw clips at Annette Hanshaw's page at redhotjazz.com but not Tiptoe Through The Tulips.

I found a reference at Levy, but not the sheet music, too "new" I guess.

Title: Tip Toe Through the Tulips With Me.
Composer, Lyricist, Arranger: Lyrics by Al Dubin. Music by Joe Burke.
Publication: New York: M. Witmark & Sons, 1929.
Form of Composition: stophic with chorus
Instrumentation: piano and voice, ukulele
First Line: Shades of night are creeping, willow trees are weeping
First Line of Chorus: Tiptoe to the window, by the window, that is where I'll be
Performer: The Gold Diggers of Broadway. [Starring] Winnie Lightner, Ann Pennington, Nick Lucas, Lilyan Tashman, Conway Tearle, Nancy Welford. A Warner Bros. Vitaphone Talking Picture.

And finally, if you want to know a WHOLE LOT MORE about the song, check this out at the Tiny Tim Site. TIP TOE THRU THE TULIPS --BEING A HISTORY (WITH DIGRESSION) OF THIS CLASSIC SONG-- By Doran Wittelsbach © 1999