Danny Boy

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Danny Boy is a song by the English lawyer and songwriter Frederic Weatherly . Weatherly wrote the lyrics in 1910, initially for a different melody, but replaced it a little later with the old Irish folk tune A Londonderry Air , for which the song then became known.

The ballad, which is about saying goodbye to a loved one and their return, is particularly well known in the Anglo-Saxon language area and among the Irish diaspora , where it is understood as the unofficial anthem of the Irish .

The song

The song Danny Boy has been sung by a very large number of well-known artists. The instrumental arrangements that Percy Grainger created under the title Irish Tune from County Derry for various ensembles are also widespread - including for wind orchestras. Also André Rieu interpreted it on the instrument for which it is known.

Attempts have been made in various ways to determine the precise circumstances of the farewell scene described in the text, including references to going into war or leaving Ireland during the great famine . The relationship between the narrator and the addressee "Danny" is also not clearly clarified. Assumptions are based on the (mostly prescription ) lover or fiancé, mother, father, sister or even grandfather (inter alia as interpreted by Jimmie Rodgers in a duet with Johnny Cash ) as protagonists. The attraction and popularity of the song should be what makes it possible that different explanations are possible.

The title of the novel I Will Be Here in Sunshine and Shades by Christian Kracht , published in 2008, is based on a verse of the song (second stanza, third line).

text

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 there in sunshine or in shadow
Oh, Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so!

And when ye come, and all the flow'rs 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.

Oh Danny, boy, the bagpipes, the bagpipes are calling
From ravine to ravine and down from the mountains.
Summer is over and all the roses are fading.
You're the one who has to leave and I have to stay here.

Should you come back when the summer is over the meadows
Or when it's quiet in the snowy valley,
Then I'll be here, in the sun or in the dark.
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy I love you so much.

But when you come back, when all the flowers have faded,
when I am dead, because I can always die,
then you will find the place where I rest,
and you will kneel down and pray an Ave Maria for me .

And when I hear you, even though you kneel quietly here,
then my grave will be warmer and sweeter than ever.
You will then bend down and tell me you love me,
and I will rest in peace until you come to me.

Text from McCourt: Danny Boy , p. 87 f.

Interpretations (selection)

literature

  • Malachy McCourt: Danny Boy. The legend of the beloved Irish Ballad . New York 2003.

Web links

Commons : Danny Boy (song)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Michael Robinson: Danny Boy — the mystery solve! In: The Standing Stones. Retrieved March 19, 2016 .
  2. ↑ Johnny Cash, Jimmie Rodgers: Danny Boy. In: youtube.com. Retrieved August 1, 2015 .
  3. ↑ Eva Cassidy - Imagine. In: Discogs . Retrieved August 13, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Thomas Quasthoff - A Romantic Songbook. In: Deutsche Grammophon . Retrieved August 13, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Nigel Kennedy - Danny Boy. In: YouTube . Retrieved August 13, 2019 .
  6. ↑ 7. Traditional Londonderry Air (Danny Boy) - (With Joyce DiDonato). In: Dailymotion . Retrieved August 13, 2019 .