We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Basil, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme

from Ensonglopedia of Plants by John Hinton

/

lyrics

Are you going to plant me some mints:
Basil, sage, rosemary and thyme?
If you thought I’d say ‘parsley’, then please take the hint
That parsley doesn’t belong in this rhyme.

What else could you plant if you plant me some mints?
Hyssop, lavender, oregano!
They look a bit like parsley if you really squint,
But is parsley in the mint family? No!

Parsley belongs to the family Apiaceae,
Which has its own bed over there.
But this bed’s reserved for the family Lamiaceae.
In systematic gardening, such things are fair.

What else could you legitimately plant in this bed?
Marjoram, perilla, catnip,
But not parsley, for parsley, as I’ve already said,
Has a remoter relationship.

Please take a look round this garden of mint:
Basil, sage, rosemary and thyme.
If the list includes parsley, then that’s a misprint,
For mixing up the families is a systematics crime.

credits

from Ensonglopedia of Plants, released November 7, 2018

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Ensonglopedia image

Ensonglopedia Brighton, UK

contact / help

Contact Ensonglopedia

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this track or account

If you like Ensonglopedia, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Saxophonist Isaiah Collier chats about his new LP and the influence of Pharoah Sanders.
listen now