Not a tree of old England

William Overington

Please sing this song slowly.

Imagine that in England
An exotic tree
Were planted in thousands
For people to see
And the trees grew to their full height
And a wonderful thing
Huge clusters of white flowers
Appeared every spring
Yes, huge clusters of white flowers
Appeared every spring
    Not a tree of old England
    But from far away
    Planted in England
    And welcome to stay
    And as time passes
    People would say
    "They are part of the landscape
    Of England today"
Imagine that in autumn
Seeds fell to the ground
Large and exotic
And in quantity found
Most seeds in a container
All of their own
And from each of these seeds
A new tree could be grown
Yes, from each of these seeds
A new tree could be grown
    Not a tree of old England
    But from far away
    Planted in England
    And welcome to stay
    And as time passes
    People would say
    "They are part of the landscape
    Of England today"
Yet such trees were introduced here
Many years ago
They're called the Horse Chestnuts
And you may know
They're now part of our landscape
So be of good cheer
And be grateful to those
Who brought the Horse Chestnut here
Yes, be grateful to those
Who brought the Horse Chestnut here
    Not a tree of old England
    But from far away
    Planted in England
    And welcome to stay
    And as time passes
    People would say
    "They are part of the landscape
    Of England today"
    And as time passes
    People would say
    "They are part of the landscape
    Of England today"