When you read this title what does it say to you? I’ve always loved the tune for this beautiful Irish song but I’ve only ever known the first measure of words.
I’m a word person. Words matter to me so after I heard Stephanie and her friends in church playing this song I knew I had to look it up and learn ALL the words. (Keep reading to hear them playing at the end of this post)
This is a beautiful haunting Irish tune that actually was written by an English lawyer, Frederic Weatherly. His Irish sister-in-law read the poem and suggested the tune of “Londonderry Air” (this being ascribed to an unnamed Irish and yet preserved by a lady named Jane Ross who was writing down the Irish music to preserve their heritage). Frederic took this sweeping melody and fit his words to it and a beautiful Irish song was born.
Some people believe it is written as parents sending their son off to war and hoping for him to come back. Others attribute it to those displaced from Ireland and their hopes of return. At the very least, this song has had a cultural impact and now lends itself to all of us as part of a rich Irish heritage.
To my dear friend, Rita, who has already shown me in such a short time how rich and brilliant the Irish people are in things not obtained with gold but the heart – I say, thank you for teaching me about your beautiful country. If you’re a geek like me, here is some information on the country of Ireland.
Oh, Danny Boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountainside,
The summer’s gone, and all the roses falling,
It’s you, it’s you must go, and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer’s in the meadow,
Or when the valley’s hushed and white with snow,
Tis I’ll be here in sunshine or in shadow,
Oh, Danny Boy, oh Danny Boy, I love you so!
But when ye come, and all the flowers are dying,
If I am dead, as dead I well may be,
Ye’ll come and find the place where I am lying,
And kneel and say an Ave there for me;
And I shall hear, though soft you tread above me,
And all my grave will warmer, sweeter be,
For you will bend and tell me that you love me,
And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me!
And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me!
Come to me!
And, if you enjoyed that story about how this song came to be, here’s another story of another famous song.
