Lyr Req: Bill Palmer? The Walnut Tree (Roger Fiske

Subject: Lyr Req: Bill Palmer The Farmer
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 11 May 21 - 02:50 PM

My friend Elaine remembers these words from school (late 1950s/early 1960s, uk):


  Bill Palmer the farmer was not a clever man
  He planted a walnut, that's how it all began.
  He chose to put it close to the side of his house,
  <? It wasn't no bigger than a any small mouse ?>

Does anyone remember this or know the source?

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bill Palmer The Farmer
From: GUEST,#
Date: 11 May 21 - 03:28 PM

Someone on a Birmingham site makes mention of singing the song in school, and on another site someone mentions doing the song in junior high. Couldn't find much else about it, however.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bill Palmer The Farmer
From: Snuffy
Date: 12 May 21 - 09:33 AM

I do remember hearing this in the late '50s, most likely from my sister - I have a vague idea that it may have been a mnemonic for her piano practice. I can't remember many of the words apart from the opening lines:

Bill Palmer the farmer was not a wise<\b> man
He planted a ...... under .......

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bill Palmer The Farmer
From: GUEST,#
Date: 12 May 21 - 09:48 AM

"Bill Palmer the farmer
Was not a clever man
He planted a walnut
That's how it all began

...the thing about that tree
it blocks up the window
So no one can see!"

That is from

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=94486.0

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bill Palmer The Farmer
From: GUEST
Date: 19 May 21 - 10:23 AM

Thanks for the info people. We'd found the last reference but like you, nothing else.

Elaine thinks it came from a more substantial book than the Singing Together ones.

Thanks for trying
Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bill Palmer The Farmer
From: GUEST,MCP
Date: 21 May 21 - 12:32 PM

Small update. Looking at books on ebay it looks as if the book was one of the Oxford School Music series. Sadly there appear to be 3 books in the Senior series(1956) and at least 2 in the Junior series (1954) and no indexes in the listings!

Mick

Subject: Lyr/Tune Add: THE WALNUT TREE (Roger Fiske)
From: GUEST,Lyr Add - MCP
Date: 26 May 21 - 11:18 AM

It did in fact come from one of those and the song is actually called The Walnut Tree. I give the words and music below. Thanks again to those who looked for it.

Mick

---

THE WALNUT TREE
(Roger Fiske)

Bill Palmer, the farmer, was not a clever man.
He planted a walnut; that's how it all began.
He chose to put it close to the side of his house;
It wasn't no bigger than any small mouse.
It wasn't no bigger than any small mouse.

The walnut grew tall but it hadn't room to spread;
A big tree should not be too near a house, its said.
His wife Jill said 'Look Bill, the thing about that tree,
It blocks up the winder so no one can see.
It blocks up the winder so no one can see.'

To calm her Bill Palmer said, 'Never mind, my dear;
I'll climb up and cut off the biggest branch what's there'.
He had a long ladder, and with his large saw
He climbed up and sat there; Jill stood by the door.
He climbed up and sat there; Jill stood by the door.

But while he was sawing, his wife said, 'Look at you,
You're sitting the wrong side of where you're sawing through.
Oh Billy, you silly, you'll come such a bump.'
As she spoke the bough broke, and Bill fell down 'clump'!
As she spoke the bough broke, and Bill fell down 'clump'!



Source: The Oxford School Music Books, Junior Book 1 by Roger Fiske and J.P.B. Dobbs, OUP, 1954

---

X:1
T:The Walnut Tree
C:Roger Fiske
L:1/4
M:3/4
K:G
G | A G G | B G G | c/G/ G G | d2
w: Bill Pal- mer, the far- mer, was not a clev- er man.
d | e c A | d B ^G | c/B/ A =G | A2
w: He plant- ed a wal- nut; that's how it all be-gan.
G | A G G | B G G | c G G | d2
w: He chose to put~it close to the side of his house;
|: d | c d d | B d d | A d d | G2 :|
w: It was- n't no big- ger than an- y small mouse.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bill Palmer The Farmer
From: cnd
Date: 28 May 21 - 12:57 AM

Excellent searching, MCP! Good find. I was getting nowhere with this one.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bill Palmer The Farmer
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 28 May 21 - 07:21 AM

cnd - It wasn't really my searching - it was actually Elaine herself who found it. She thought it might have been an Oxford music book, so we looked for some online and eventually found a cover that she though looked familiar. There was a copy on ebay - there was no contents list, but it was only a few pounds, so she bought it on spec. And lo and behold there was the song with it's correct title!

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Bill Palmer The Farmer
From: GUEST,guest
Date: 19 Feb 22 - 06:10 PM

The first few lines came into my head recently. Remember singing it in school in NSW in mid to late 1950's.