Lemon Tree (Will Holt song)

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Lemon Tree is a folk song written by Will Holt in the 1960s. The tune is based on the Brazilian folk song Meu limão, meu limoeiro, arranged by José Carlos Burle in 1937 and made popular by Brazilian singer Wilson Simonal. ^[1]

The song has been recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary, The Kingston Trio, The Seekers and Trini Lopez. In the 1960s, the tune was used in television advertisements for "Lemon Pledge," an aerosol furniture polish. The song compares love to a lemon tree: "Lemon tree very pretty, and the lemon flower is sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat."

The song was referenced in Seinfeld and in Michael Tolliver Lives by Armistead Maupin.