Sheet music cover
I’m A Lonely Little Petunia ‘In an Onion Patch’, written by
Billy Faber, John Kamano and Maurie Hartmann was released
on the Mercury record label in 1947 and became a doublesided
hit for the American entertainer and recording artist
“Two Ton Baker”. On release, ‘I’m A Lonely Little Petunia’
reached no 21, and the flip side ‘Near You’ reached no 12 in
the Billboard Magazine Hot 100.
Richard Evans Baker, more commonly known as “Two Ton Baker, the Music Maker” was a popular radio and television star from Chicago throughout the 1940s, 50s and 60s. His musical career began in 1938 playing piano in night clubs in Chicago and Milwaukee. He was a big man with a personality to match.
During the 2nd World War, on account of his size he could not pass the physical to enter the armed services, so he began entertaining the troops instead. He never had any formal musical training and played everything by ear, but he was a master at musical improvisation on the piano. He loved performing to children and mainly sang novelty or children’s songs, and along with I’m a Lonely Little Petunia he had hits with ‘I Like Stinky Cheese’ and ‘The Soup Song’.
Two Ton and Squawky the Parrot
From 1952-56 he hosted a children’s television show called ‘The Happy Pirates’ along with a puppet called ‘Bubbles the Porpoise’ and a live talking parrot called ‘Squawky the Parrot’, that supposedly could swear profusely, but nobody seemed mind as it only swore in Danish having been previously owned by a Danish sailor.
Besides his radio, recording, and television work he was also resident piano player, and at Christmas he played Santa Claus, at Chicago’s Blue Note Jazz Club. The jazz club regularly featured Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and many more jazz greats.
In 1965 he went back to playing in Chicago night clubs, and in 1972 Duke Ellington chose him to play piano at a symposium honouring Ellington and the history of jazz, instead of him, because Ellington didn’t feel well enough to play the piece himself.
I'm a Lonely Little Petunia (In an Onion Patch)
1. Of all the saddest words that I have ever heard
The saddest is the story told me by a bird
He had spent about an hour
A chatting with a flower
And here's the tale the flower told
Chorus
Oh, I’m a lonely little petunia in an onion patch
An onion patch
An onion patch
I'm a lonely little petunia in an onion patch
And all I do is cry all day
Boo hoo, boo hoo
The air's so strong it takes my breath away
I’m a lonely little petunia in an onion patch
Won't you come and play with me?
2. Who put me in this bed? I'll bet his face is red
I call him down with еvery teardrop that I shed
If I only had him hеre
I'd take him by the ear
And make him share my misery
3. My nerves begin to crack each time I see a crack
Made by a kitty with a stripe right on his back
If he’d ever stop by me
I think I'd rather be
A dead petunia, wouldn’t you?
I’m A Lonely Little Petunia (In An Onion Patch)
I’m A Lonely Little Petunia (In An Onion Patch)
Dick “Two Ton” Baker & his Music Makers
Mercury Records Celebrity Series, 78 rpm
Released 1947
Music and lyrics by Billy Faber, John Kamano and Maurie Hartmann
Provided to YouTube by The78Prof - @the78prof72
Mick Haywood is a traditional folk singer & folk song collector who has run and organised folk clubs and festivals for many years. He now lives in Whitby, North Yorkshire.
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