Danny Boy
- Danny Boy is also the stage name of Chicago native Daniel Ray, a contempary African-American soul singer.
Danny Boy is a love song providing one of many lyrics set to the tune of the Londonderry Air. It was written in 1910 by Frederick Weatherly, an English lawyer, and set to the tune in 1913.
The song is widely considered an Irish anthem, and the tune is used as the anthem of Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games, even though its writer was not Irish, and the song was and is more popular outside Ireland than within.
- Oh Danny Boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
- From glen to glen, and down the mountain side;
- The summer's gone, and all the roses falling,
- 'Tis you, 'tis 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,
- And 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!
Recordings
- Conway Twitty recorded a rockabilly version of this song.
- Johnny Cash recorded a version of this song on Volume IV of his American Recordings series, the last album he recorded before his death.
- Roy Orbison did an acclaimed rendition of this on his 1972 Memphis album.
- The British label Chandos has released a recording of Percy Grainger's beautiful setting of this tune for wind band as part of its series of the complete works of that composer.
- This was also known to be one of Elvis Presley's favorite songs. Elvis also did his own recording of the song, which was played at his funeral.
- Jackie Wilson recorded two different versions of this song. It was his mother's favorite song.