Over the Garden Wall is a song Sara Carter said "that was an old ballet given to us by an old lady in Tennessee." The song was written by the minstrel showmen Harry Hunter and George D. Fox in 1879. In the companion book for the Bear Family's set of the complete recordings of the Carter Family, Charles Wolfe wrote that the song was popularized in the 1890s by the vaudeville singer Tony Pastor and then moved into the folk tradition. Judging from the number of publishers who have issued editions of it (see the Library of Congress American Memory site), it must've been quite the hit.

The Carters sang only two verses, the first and fourth, with only slight alterations. Their melody is rather different from Fox's, but still resembles the original closely in spots.


OVER THE GARDEN WALL
A. P. Carter

My love stood under a walnut tree,
Over the garden wall.
She whispered and said she'd be true to me,
Over the garden wall.
She has beautiful eyes and beautiful hair,
She's not very tall so she stood in a chair.
Many a time I kissed her there,
Over the garden wall.

CHORUS: Over the garden wall,
The sweetest girl of all.
There never were yet
Such eyes of jet,
And you can bet I'll never forget
The night our lips in kisses met,
Over the garden wall.

There's always a will, there's always a way,
Over the garden wall.
There's always a night, as well as the day,
Over the garden wall.
We hadn't much money, but weddin's were cheap,
So while the old feller was snoring asleep,
With a lad and ladder she managed to creep,
Over the garden wall. CHORUS

OVER THE GARDEN WALL(1879)
words by Harry Hunter
music by G[eorge] D. Fox

1. Oh, my love stood under the walnut tree,
Over the garden wall,
She whispered and said she'd be true to me,
Over the garden wall,
She'd beautiful eyes and beautiful hair,
She was not very tall so she stood in a chair,
And Many a time have I kissed her there,
Over the garden wall.

      CHORUS
      Over the garden wall,
      The sweetest girl of all.
      There never were yet such eyes of jet,
      And you can bet I'll never forget
      The night our lips in kisses met,
      Over the garden wall.

2. But her father stamped and her father raved,
Over the garden wall,
And like an old madman he behaved,
Over the garden wall,
She made a bouquet of roses red,
But immediately I popped up my head,
He gave me a bucket of water instead,
Over the garden wall. CHO.

3. One day I jumped down on the other side,
Over the garden wall,
And she bravely promised to be my bride,
Over the garden wall,
But she screamed in a fright, "Here's father, quick,
I have an impression he's bringing a stick."
But I brought the impression of half a brick,
Over the garden wall. CHO.

4. But where there's a will, there's always a way,
Over the garden wall,
There's always a night as well as the day,
Over the garden wall ;
We hadn't much money, but wedding's are cheap,
So while the old fellow was snoring asleep,
With a lad and ladder, she managed to creep
Over the garden wall. CHO.