# Roses are red, Violets are blue...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roses-are-red-violets-are-blue/189264>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 18, 2003, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roses-are-red-violets-are-blue/189264 "2003-07-18T00:09:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Major\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Major\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Kong)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roses-are-red-violets-are-blue/189264/1 "2003-07-18T00:09:33Z")

</div>

I don’t know the original of this phrase  
Do you?

What is the original of “roses are red, violets are blue”?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Major\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Major\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Kong)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roses-are-red-violets-are-blue/189264/2 "2003-07-18T00:10:35Z")

</div>

Original = origin

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roses-are-red-violets-are-blue/189264/3 "2003-07-18T00:45:06Z")

</div>

IIRC, it’s from an old song. The only part I recall is:

> [@](#):
>
> Down in the valley,  
> Valley so low.  
> Hang your head over,  
> Hear the wind blow.
> 
> Roses are red,  
> Violets are blue.  
> Angels in Heaven  
> Know I love you.

There must be more verses to it.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roses-are-red-violets-are-blue/189264/4 "2003-07-18T00:50:09Z")

</div>

That’s: “Roses love sunshine, violets love dew”, **Monty**  
[http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/valley.htm](http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/valley.htm)

But then there’s about a million different lyrics, attributed to thousands of authors, or mainly to “unknown”

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Daizy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@Daizy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daizy)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roses-are-red-violets-are-blue/189264/5 "2003-07-18T01:08:59Z")

</div>

Are you getting it confused with [this song](http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/valley.htm) Monty? 🙂

Daizy

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Daizy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@Daizy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daizy)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roses-are-red-violets-are-blue/189264/6 "2003-07-18T01:10:46Z")

</div>

Argh!!! Why do the hamsters go on pee break every time I want to post?! :rolleyes:

You beat me **Qadgop the Mercotan** 🙂

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roses-are-red-violets-are-blue/189264/7 "2003-07-18T01:24:37Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Daizy \*  
> \*\*Argh!!! Why do the hamsters go on pee break every time I want to post?! :rolleyes:
> 
> You beat me **Qadgop the Mercotan** 🙂 \*\*

Do I still beat **Daizy**? How shall I answer that question?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roses-are-red-violets-are-blue/189264/8 "2003-07-18T04:28:31Z")

</div>

An early instance by Edmund Spenser in _The Faerie Queene_ (1590):

> [@](#):
>
> Roses red and violets blew,  
> And all the sweetest flowers, that in the forest grew.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roses-are-red-violets-are-blue/189264/9 "2003-07-18T04:49:21Z")

</div>

MajorK You should have said:

“Roses are red  
Violets are blue”  
I dont know the rest,  
How about you?