Whispering Grass

"Whispering Grass (Don't Tell The Trees)" is a popular song written by Fred Fisher and his daughter Doris Fisher.^[1] The song was first recorded by Erskine Hawkins & His Orchestra in 1940.^[2] The Ink Spots featuring Bill Kenny also recorded it the same year.^[3] A live instrumental version was played and recorded by Johnny Hodges with Duke Ellington and his orchestra in the Cristal Ballroom, Fargo, North Dakota, also in 1940.

The words of the song are reminiscent of those of Kahlil Gibran: "If you reveal your secrets to the wind, you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees.”^[4]

"Whispering Grass" was a 1975 UK number-one single by Windsor Davies and Don Estelle.^[5] Davies and Estelle were actors in the successful sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum. It was number one in the UK Singles Chart for three weeks from 7 June 1975.^[5] The record is a comic version of The Ink Spots' 1940 recording, and was sung in character.

Other versions

The song was also recorded by:

• Ringo Starr on his 1970 album Sentimental Journey.^[6]
• Sandy Denny on her 1973 album Like an Old Fashioned Waltz.^[7]
• Kay Starr on her 1962 album I Cry By Night.^[8]
• Kat Edmonson on her 2012 album Way Down Low.^[9]
• The Skatalites, as 'Whispering Dub' on their Herb Dub Collie Dub album first issued in 1976, re-issued in 2001.^[10]

References

1. "Whispering Grass (Don't Tell The Trees) - The Ink Spots | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
2. "Coleman Hawkins with Erskine Hawkins and Their Orchestras - Coleman Hawkins | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
3. "Ink Spots* - Whispering Grass (Don't Tell The Trees) / Maybe (Shellac)". Discogs.com. 2016-10-06. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
4. Kahlil Gibran. "Quote by Kahlil Gibran: "If you reveal your secrets to the wind, you sho..."". Goodreads.com. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
5. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 187. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
6. Miles, Barry (1998). The Beatles a Diary: An Intimate Day by Day History. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780711963153.
7. Brett Hartenbach. "Like an Old Fashioned Waltz - Sandy Denny | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
8. "I Cry By Night - Kay Starr | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
9. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Way Down Low - Kat Edmonson | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
10. "The Skatalites - Herb Dub - Collie Dub (Vinyl, LP, Album)". Discogs.com. 2016-10-06. Retrieved 2016-10-10.

External links

• Whispering Grass lyrics, as sung by the Ink Spots in 1940
• Scondhandsongs.com