Danny Boy
Londonderry Air lyrics
Danny Boy is an Irish ballad set to the melody "Londonderry Air," widely considered among the most beloved songs in the Irish tradition.
The lyrics, written in 1913, address someone departing—interpreted variously as a son going to war or emigrating.
The song has become standard at Irish funerals and St.
Patrick's Day celebrations: They closed with a tearful rendition of Danny Boy.
Pleasing sequence of notes
- lamentMournful expression of grief
- verseMetered poetic passage
- chorusSingers performing together
- refrainAbstain from acting
lyrics · tune · harmony · minstrel · folk song · traditional · serenade · vocal
Intense prolonged craving
- homesicknessLonging for one's dwelling
- longingIntense, persistent desire
- melancholySubdued, lasting sadness
- wistfulnessTender sadness for absence
sentimentality · bittersweet · memory · reminiscence · hiraeth · recollection · bygone · yesteryear
Three-leafed Irish emblem
- CelticOf Irish-Welsh descent
- GaelicCeltic linguistic tradition
- DublinIrish capital city
- EireIsland nation's native name
emerald · Hibernia · St. Patrick · Guinness · blarney · colcannon · soda bread · brogue
Act of leaving another
- departureAct of going away
- goodbyeDeparting salutation
- separationState of being apart
- emigrationLeaving homeland permanently
leaving · return · homecoming · mother · son · waiting · graveside · mountainside
melody
Pleasing sequence of notes
refrain · lyrics · tune · harmony · minstrel · folk song · traditional · serenade · vocal · singer
yearning
Intense prolonged craving
- homesicknessLonging for one's dwelling
- longingIntense, persistent desire
- melancholySubdued, lasting sadness
wistfulness · sentimentality · bittersweet · memory · reminiscence · hiraeth · recollection · bygone · yesteryear · reverie
shamrock
Three-leafed Irish emblem
Eire · emerald · Hibernia · St. Patrick · Guinness · blarney · colcannon · soda bread · brogue · craic
parting
Act of leaving another
- departureAct of going away
- goodbyeDeparting salutation
- separationState of being apart
emigration · leaving · return · homecoming · mother · son · waiting · graveside · mountainside · glen
- Celtic Folkjigs, reels, bodhrán, Irish jig, Irish jigs
- european folk songsGreensleeves, Scarborough Fair, Auld Lang Syne, Bella Ciao, Santa Lucia
- Folk BalladsScarborough Fair, Geordie, Shenandoah, In the Pines, murder ballads
- Irish MusicU2, Irish folk, The Cranberries, Van Morrison, traditional tunes
- Irish SongsMolly Malone, Galway Girl, Finnegans Wake, drinking songs, pub songs
- balladsballads, balladry, power ballads, pop ballads, country ballads
Danny Boyjig
Spirited folk dance
reel · hornpipe · polka · Riverdance · slip jig
Danny Boydrinking song
Music for toasting together
Irish jig · Molly Malone · pub song · Galway Girl · reel