Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American Hall of… Read Full Bio ↴Floyd Cramer (October 27, 1933 – December 31, 1997) was an American Hall of Fame pianist who was one of the architects of the "Nashville Sound."

Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, Cramer grew up in the small town of Huttig, Arkansas, teaching himself to play the piano. After finishing high school, he returned to Shreveport, where he worked as a pianist for the Louisiana Hayride radio show.

In 1952, he made his way to Nashville at a time when the use of piano accompanists in country music was growing in popularity. Before long, Cramer would become one of the busiest studio musicians in the industry, playing piano for stars such as Elvis Presley, Brenda Lee, Patsy Cline, The Browns, Jim Reeves, Roy Orbison, Don Gibson and the Everly Brothers, and many others. It is Cramer's piano that is heard, for example, on Presley's first national hit, "Heartbreak Hotel."

However, Cramer remained a virtual unknown to anyone but music industry insiders until he recorded a 45 rpm single in 1960 called "Last Date." An instrumental, the music exhibited a relatively new concept for piano playing known as the "slip note" style. The record went to Number two on the Billboard Hot 100 pop music chart. By the mid-1960s, Cramer had become a respected performer, making numerous record albums and touring with guitar maestro Chet Atkins and saxophonist Boots Randolph.

Floyd Cramer died of lung cancer in 1997 at the age of 64 and was interred in the Spring Hill Cemetery in the Nashville suburb of Madison, Tennessee.

In 2003, he was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee offers the "Floyd Cramer Competitive Scholarship."

Danny Boy
Floyd Cramer 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 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,
It's 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,
You'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!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Floyd Cramer's "Danny Boy" is a song about a man who is bidding farewell to his loved one, Danny, as he leaves on a journey. The pipes are calling Danny to his destination, and the singer is urging him to leave. The chorus expresses the singer's love for Danny, and how he hopes to see him again. In the second verse, the singer acknowledges that Danny may return to find that he has passed away. Despite this, he hopes that Danny will remember him and express his love for him.

The song is a beautifully written ode to love and loss. The lyrics are full of emotion and longing, and convey the message of how strong and lasting love can be, even in the face of separation and death. The singer is hopeful that Danny will remember him even in death and that their love will continue long after they have parted ways.

Line by Line Meaning

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

From glen to glen, and down the mountain side.
The sound of the bagpipes is echoing through the valleys and down the mountainside.

The summer's gone, and all the roses falling,
As the summer comes to an end, the flowers are withering away and dying.

It's you, it's you must go and I must bide.
It's time for you to leave and for me to stay behind.

But come ye back when summer's in the meadow,
Please return to me when the meadows are green and the flowers are blooming again in the summer.

Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow,
Or come back when the valleys are silent and covered in white snow.

It's I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow,
I'll be here for you no matter what, in the sunshine or in the darkness.

Oh, Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so!
Oh, Danny boy, I love you so much!

But when ye come, and all the flowers are dying,
But if you return when the flowers are dying and withering away,

If I am dead, as dead I well may be,
If I have passed away, which could happen.

You'll come and find the place where I am lying,
You'll come to find my resting place.

And kneel and say an Ave there for me.
And kneel down and say a prayer there for me.

And I shall hear, though soft you tread above me,
Even if you are walking softly above me, I'll be able to hear you.

And all my grave will warmer, sweeter be,
The warmth and sweetness of your words will make my resting place more welcoming and comforting.

For you will bend and tell me that you love me,
You'll lean down and express your love for me.

And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me!
And I'll be able to rest in peace, knowing that you'll come back to me when the time is right.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: DP, ALFIE BOE, LAWRENCE A. KLEIN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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