I once had a sweetheart but now I have none
He's gone and he's left me in sorrow to weep and mourn
He's gone and he's left me for others to see
I know that he'll soon find another far better than me

I wrote him a letter both loving and kind
He wrote me an answer with sharp twisted lines
Saying, "Keep your love letters, and I will keep mine
You write to your love, and I'll write to mine"

Chorus:
Green grows the laurel, soft falls the dew
Hard was my heart when I parted from you
In our next meeting I hope you'll prove true
And we'll join the green laurel for the violet so blue

He passes my window both early and late
The looks that he gives me would make my heart break
The looks that he gives me a thousand would kill
Whenever he wanders, he'll be my love still

(Chorus 2x)

For the violet so blue, for the violet so blue