I gave my love a cherry
That has no stones.
I gave my love a chicken
That has no bones.
I gave my love a blanket
That has no thread.
I gave my love a book
That can't be read.

How can there be a cherry
That has no stones?
How can there be a chicken
That has no bones?
How can there be a blanket
That has no thread?
How can there be a book
That can't be read?

When cherries are in blossom,
They have no stones.
The chicken in the eggshell
Can have no bones.
The fleece that makes a blanket
Can have no thread.
A book that's in the press,
Cannot be read.