The Garden of Love

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The Garden of Love is a poem by romantic poet William Blake. It was published as part of his collection, Songs of Experience.

"The Garden of Love" is written to express Blake"s beliefs on the naturalness of sexuality and how organized religion, particularly the orthodox Christian church of Blake"s time with their preaching and rules cause the repression of our natural desires.

This was an extremely brave statement to make in his time, with a very direct attack on the Catholic Church with mention of a "Chapel" and "priests". Blake"s indignation at his subject matter is evident from the second line as he is talking about seeing "what I had never seen". It is interesting that he says he has "never" seen it when he must have grown up all his life being very aware of the Church"s attitude towards sexuality. It can then perhaps be inferred that he is speaking from the point of view of innocence who has just entered the world of experience and is in a state of shock and sadness at how his previous freedoms have been literally blocked and squashed by the Church. "A chapel was built in the midst/ Where I used to play on the green" The "green" has special significance also as it mirrors the contrary poem in innocence "The Echoing Green" hence the reading of the "green" to represent previous, innocent freedom, as well as the more obvious "play".

In 1971, it was adapted by Skip Battin and Kim Fowley into a song called "Tunnel of Love", as performed by the Byrds on their album, "Byrdmaniax". The music to which Blake"s words were set was meant to resemble a Fats Domino song.

In 2001, Jacob ter Velhuis wrote a solo for soprano saxophone accompanied by synth. The poem is sampled and mixed into an accompaniment track which is played as the soloist performs.