It is written from the perspective of a man facing the gallows for the murder of his lover, to whom he gave poisoned wine, then stabbed, and threw in a river.
[5] The song has lyrical similarities to W. B. Yeats' 1899 poem "Down by the Salley Gardens", which itself probably derives from the Irish ballad "The Rambling Boys of Pleasure".
[5] The first versions of "Rose Connoley" probably derive from the Irish ballads "The Wexford Girl" and "The Rambling Boys of Pleasure", or similar songs.
My father weeps at his cabin door wipin' his tear dimmed eyes for soon his only son shall hang from yonder scaffold high.
My race is run beneath the sun my sentence is waiting for me for I did poison that dear little girl whose name was Rose Connelly.
[8] According to Wigley, the song follows "the 'murdered sweetheart' pattern in which a girl stated or assumed to be pregnant is murdered by her lover, who is usually brought to justice in one manner or another.
"[5] His motivations might have been to avoid marriage, gain money, or feeling compelled into the crime by his father, but now that he is facing the scaffold he is overcome by the realization that he has killed the girl and caused pain to his family.
[5] Wade Mainer and Zeke Morris recorded another version on 2 August 1937 in Charlotte, North Carolina (Bluebird B-7298),[5] giving it the name "Down in the Willow Garden".
The Osborne Brothers and Red Allen recorded it as "Down in the Willow Garden" in 1956,[5] as did the Kossoy Sisters on their album Bowling Green in the same year.