Danny Boy
Bessie Lee Mauldin Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

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 are dying
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
For 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 a dying
And if I am dead, dead I well may be
Just come and find, find the place
Find the place where I lay lying
And kneel and say an "Ave" there for me

And I will hear tho soft you tread above me
And my grave, my grave warmer and sweeter be
For you're gonna kneel and you're gonna tell




God you're gonna tell me how you loved me
And I will sleep in peace until you come to me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Bessie Lee Mauldin's song "Danny Boy" are a poignant, emotional appeal by the singer to Danny, asking him to return to the glen, even though it will mean the singer will have to be left behind. The opening lines "Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling" are a reference to the bagpipes, which traditionally play a mournful tune at funerals. The singer laments the end of summer and the dying of the roses, tying these images to the inevitability of death.


The second stanza acknowledges the passing of time and the changing of the seasons. The singer reassures Danny that they will be there waiting, whether in the warmth of summer or the chill of winter. The repetition of "oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so" drives home the depth of the singer's feelings.


The final stanza reveals the singer's fear that they may not live to see Danny return. They implore Danny to come to their gravesite and say a prayer for them, promising that they will hear his every step and feel his love in the afterlife. The song concludes with the comforting idea that the singer will sleep in peace until Danny joins them in death.


Line by Line Meaning

Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
Oh Danny boy, the sound of the pipes is calling out to you


From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The sound echoes from one valley to another, across the mountains


The summer's gone, and all the roses are dying
The season has changed, and the flowers that once bloomed are now wilting away


It's you, It's you must go and I must bide
You have to leave, while I remain behind


But come ye back when summer's in the meadow
Please come back to me when the summer grass is tall


Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
Or in the winter, when the valley is covered with snow and everything is quiet


For I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow
I'll be here for you no matter what, whether it's sunny or dark


Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so
Oh Danny boy, I have so much love for you


But when ye come and all the flowers are a dying
When you come back and the flowers are all dead


And if I am dead, dead I well may be
And if I've passed away by then, which could happen


Just come and find, find the place
Please come and find my final resting place


Find the place where I lay lying
Discover where my body has been laid to rest


And kneel and say an "Ave" there for me
When you find me, kneel and say a prayer for me


And I will hear tho soft you tread above me
Even though I won't be alive, I'll still be able to hear you walking above my grave


And my grave, my grave warmer and sweeter be
My resting place will be more comforting when you're near it


For you're gonna kneel and you're gonna tell
Because you're going to kneel and talk to me


God you're gonna tell me how you loved me
You'll tell me about how much you love me


And I will sleep in peace until you come to me
I'll be able to rest peacefully until you join me




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: FREDERICK E WEATHERLY, TAISUKE SAWACHIKA

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

gordon jock

Great instrumental by Bill Monroe

gloria boyd

HUGH FAN OF BILL, Thanks for sharing Gloria

Joe Banjo

LOL...not a christmas song! Nmed for a town in Indiana

Bob Priest

Dennis, I've done some research and I found that Bill learned the tune from a fiddler from southern Indiana / northern Kentucky and it's supposed to be a variation of the tune, I Don't Like Nobody. Back in the 1950s, we would pass through Santa Claus on our way to Huntingburg to visit my great grandparents. It was a tiny place and was a big concrete statue of Santa Claus out in a field. Times have sure changed, though. Now there's a theme park called Holiday World and lots of folks visit it during the summer.