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A Proper Sort of Gardener Lyrics by June Tabor

Always (Box Set)

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Once upon a time I found a garden
Picked the brightest things that I could see;
An apron full of Mr Harding's flowers
I didn't know that he was watching me
Straight away my mother ran to tell him
Wondering what he would say or do
Mr Harding smiled and said, "She's just a little child;
I knew that she'd be picking them for you."
By the fire dad would tell me stories
One of them concerned a garden too
Where the lion and the lamb lay down together
And every lovely fruit and flower grew
The gardener sent his children in to play there
Rejoicing in the brightness of the day
But when they went exploring and took a fruit to taste
He cursed them both and sent them on their way
Even then I realised in my childish mind
That he wasn't a proper gardener of the Mr Harding kind
Mr Harding's garden was all taken
By lesser men with concrete in their minds
Factory chimneys grew instead of daisies
No butterflies from that assembly line
My mother faded faster than a flower
Dad sat in the darkness and cried
Mr Harding moves a little slower than before
But still he tends the grave where they both lie
Wherever it is they've gone to I hope that they will find
A proper sort of garden of the Mr Harding kind
The foolish woman sometimes feels despairing
And thinks it seems so very hard to find
The child tries to plant a little everywhere she goes
That special love of the Mr Harding kind
Someday when I'm older maybe I will find
That I've grown into a gardener of the Mr Harding kind
Credits
June Tabor

June Tabor

About “A Proper Sort of Gardener” by June Tabor

Read the complete lyrics to "A Proper Sort of Gardener" by June Tabor from the album "Always (Box Set)". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Pop.

"A Proper Sort of Gardener" is performed by June Tabor. from the album "Always (Box Set)" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "A Proper Sort of Gardener", explore more songs by June Tabor using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"A Proper Sort of Gardener" is credited to June Tabor. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"A Proper Sort of Gardener" appears on "Always (Box Set)".

Visit the June Tabor artist page at /artist/june-tabor for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.