brings forth a pleasant day" and "there are fine boats sailing here". In a version of Let No Man Steal Your Thyme, she wishes she were in her lover’s arms but she tells false men not to give her cause to complain about the grass underfoot being "trodden down" – in time, it will rise again. In some versions of Garners Gay, the narrator plucks up all rue and plants a sturdy oak in its place with the hope that it will grow strong and remain as true as the stars do to the sky. Other plants are mentioned in other versions. Lyrics The first three verses of a broadside printed between 1855 and 1858 in Manchester and Leeds ("Sprig of Thyme" variant):Come all you pretty fair maids, That's just in your prime, I would have you weed your gardens clear, Let no one steal your thyme. I once had a sprig of thyme, It prospered both night and day, By chance there came a false young man, And he stole my thyme away. Thyme is the prettiest flower, That grows under the sun, It's thyme that brings all things to an end, So now my time runs on.The first two verses of a broadside printed between 1819 and 1844 in London ("Seeds of Love" variant):I sewed the seeds of love it was all in the spring, In April, May, and June likewise, When small birds they do sing, My gardens well planted with flowers every where, I had not the liberty to chuse for myself, The flower that I loved so dear. The gardener he stood by I asked him to chuse for me He chus'd me the violet the lilly and pink, But those I refused all three, The violet I forsook because it fades so soon, The lilly and the pink I did o'erlook, And I vowed I'd stay till June. Commentary The representative symbolism is as follows: "Thyme" – time and, to an extent, virginity. "Red Rose" – romantic love, lust or "wanton passion" "Violet" – modesty "Willow" – sorrow and despair "Rue" – regret "Oak" – strength, loyalty Traditional recordings Many traditional singers have been recorded singing different variants of the song, Joseph Taylor of Saxby-All-Saints, Lincolnshire was recorded singing "The Sprig of Thyme" by Percy Grainger in 1906; the recording can be heard on the British Library Sound Archive website. Other traditional English singers