<P> The song is known in many versions: Wilgus noted 71 in 1979 . The earliest versions are divided into 10 stanzas, though not all versions include all the stanzas: the now - standardized professional recordings are pared down versions that lack that first "come - all - ye" stanza and the naming of the murderer, leaving stanzas 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, and 10 . The most common lyric is the second stanza: </P> <P> Down in a willow garden My true love and I did meet And we were a-sitting discoursing My true love dropped off to sleep </P> <P> Most traditional versions name the victim as Rose Connelly, or a similar surname . Many versions have the murderer name himself; the name varies but tends towards the pattern "Patrick McR ...". One early version referred to an "Hozier tree;" Osier is a type of willow tree . The lyrics refer to a poisoned wine, usually as "burglar's wine" or "Burgundy wine," sometimes as "Berkeley," "burdelin," "buglers," and earlier as "merkley wine;" this may refer to drugged wine, or possibly to "burgaloo wine," burgaloo being a type of pear (from the French, virgalieu). "Burgundy" is almost certainly a "correction" of the text . The weapon used to stab Rose is almost always a "sabre" or a "dagger ." </P> <P> It is usually sung to a tune known as "Rosin the Beau," in 3 / 4 time . </P>

Down in the willow garden the everly brothers lyrics