"Whispering Grass (Don't Tell The Trees)" is a popular song written by Fred Fisher and his daughter Doris Fisher. The song was first recorded by Erskine Hawkins & His Orchestra in 1940. The Ink Spots featuring Bill Kenny also recorded it the same year. A live instrumental version was played and recorded by Johnny Hodges with Duke Ellington and his orchestra in the Cristal Ballroom, Fargo, North Dakota, also in 1940.
The words of the song are reminiscent of those of Kahlil Gibran: "If you reveal your secrets to the wind, you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees.”
"Whispering Grass" was a 1975 UK number-one single by Windsor Davies and Don Estelle. Davies and Estelle were actors in the successful sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum. It was number one in the UK Singles Chart for three weeks from 7 June 1975. The record is a comic version of The Ink Spots' 1940 recording, and was sung in character.
Other versions
The song was also recorded by: