Jerry Livingston

The Violet Meditation

Published April 20, 2012 | By Sheila Dobbie

A lonely violet growing among the ivy, how did you get there?

Did a bird pluck you from your bed and deposit you here to brighten my day?

Did you catch a ride upon the wind?

Or, are you there to point the way

To the beautiful flowers of May?

So pure and white, like a left over snowflake from winter

You hide among the green and white leaves of ivy

As if to say, I’m here today and gone in May

But, Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey

A kiddley divey too, wouldn’t you?

Translation:

If the words sound queer and funny to your ear, a little bit jumbled and jivey, sing:

Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy.

A kid’ll eat ivy too, wouldn’t you”

Note: my apologies to composers Milton Drake, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston for taking liberties with their 1943 silly song Mairzy Doats.