Under the Bamboo Tree

[4] Cole stated he took inspiration from a soldier's story he heard, of a romance he had under a bamboo tree with a Red Cross nurse.

[5] At Johnson's insistence, Cole used the melody of the spiritual "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" as the basis for the song.

The publisher changed the name to "Under the Bamboo Tree", taken from the final line in the song's chorus.

[4] A month later, Cole and Johnson performed the song at party hosted by George W. Lederer.

There, Marie Cahill took a liking to the song, and campaigned against producer Ludwig Englander for its incorporation in the Broadway production of Sally in Our Alley, of which she starred.