John Francis McCormack was born in Athlone, Ireland, the fourth of eleven children of Andrew and Hannah Watson on 14 June 1884, and was baptised in St. Mary's Church, Athlone on 23 June 1884. His father was employed in Athlone Woollen Mills.
John received his early education from the Marist Brothers in Athlone, and later attended Summerhill College, Sligo. In 1903 he won the coveted gold medal in the Dublin Feis Ceoil and it was this event which set him on his climb to success. John married Lily Foley in 1906 and the couple had two children Cyril and Gwen.
Fundraising enabled his voice to be trained under Sabbatini in Italy. In 1907 John McCormack made his first important operatic appearance at Covent Garden in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana. By 1912 he began to turn his attention to the concert stage, where his voice quality and charisma ensured that he became the greatest lyric tenor of his day.
He made numerous recordings, the first on phonograph cylinder in 1904. His most commercially successful series of records were those for the Victor Talking Machine Company in the 1910s and 1920s. He was the first artist to record It's a Long Way to Tipperary, in 1914. He also regularly broadcast on the radio and appeared in a number of sound films.
In 1917 he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.
To many people the highlight of McCormack's Irish career was his singing of CΓ©sar Franck's Panis Angelicus to the thousands who thronged Dublin's Phoenix Park for the 1932 Eucharistic Congress.
He was much honoured and decorated for his services to the world of music. His greatest honour came in 1928, when he received the title Count from Pope Pius XI in recognition of his work for Catholic charities. Although he often came to be referred to as "Count John McCormack" in his professional life, this title was officially recognised within only the Catholic Church ever.
McCormack retired in 1944, and died the following year at his home in Glena, Booterstown, Dublin.
Believe me if all those endearing young charms
John Mccormack Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Beleive me if all those endearing young charms
Which I gave on so fondly today
Were to change by tomorrow and fleet in my arms
Like the fairy gifts fading away
Though would still be adored as this moment thou art
Let thy loveliness fade as it will
Would entwine itself verdantly still
It is not while beauty and youth are thine own
And thy cheeks unprofaned by a tear
That the fervour and faith of a soul can be known
To which time will but make thee more dear
No the heart which has truly loved never forgets
But as truly loves on to the close
As the sunflower turns on her guard when he sets
The same look which she turned when he rose
The song "Believe me if all those endearing young charms" by John McCormack is a heartfelt tribute to his mother. It speaks of the enduring love one has for someone, regardless of how time may change them. The lyrics express the desire to love someone as they are, not for their outward beauty or youth, but for who they are as a person.
McCormackβs voice is emotive and tender. The songβs nostalgically wistful lyrics float along the gentle melody, as if a lullaby. The lyrics pose a hypothetical situation where the endearing young charms given so fondly today would fade away like fairy gifts. The singer reassures his mother that even in this situation, he would still adore her just as much as ever. The song speaks to the emotions one feels towards a loved one, promising to continue loving them through all their ups and downs, as true love never forgets.
Overall, the songβs sentimental lyrics and touching melody make it a timeless classic. It has been performed by many famous artists over the years, including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Andrea Bocelli.
Line by Line Meaning
Believe me if all those endearing young charms
Trust me if all the things that made you charming and lovable
Which I gave on so fondly today
That I appreciated today
Were to change by tomorrow and fleet in my arms
Are going to change and disappear tomorrow
Like the fairy gifts fading away
Like how fairy-tale gifts disappear
Though would still be adored as this moment thou art
Even if you change, you'll still be adored as you are today
Let thy loveliness fade as it will
Let your beauty fade naturally
And around the dear ruin each wish of my heart
And my heart's desires will still surround you
It is not while beauty and youth are thine own
True love cannot be proven while you are still young and beautiful
And thy cheeks unprofaned by a tear
And without experiencing any hardships or tears
That the fervour and faith of a soul can be known
One cannot truly know the strength of someone's love and devotion without experiencing hardships
To which time will but make thee more dear
Rather, it is with time that one's love becomes stronger
No the heart which has truly loved never forgets
A heart that truly loves never forgets
But as truly loves on to the close
And continues to love until the end
As the sunflower turns on her guard when he sets
Like how a sunflower follows the sun
The same look which she turned when he rose
The same way she looked at him when he appeared
Writer(s): thomas moore's american dream, traditional
Contributed by Elizabeth J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@envisagebgt8078
Believe me, if all those endearing young charms,
Β Β Β Β Which I gaze on so fondly to-day,
Were to change by to-morrow, and fleet in my arms,
Β Β Β Β Like fairy-gifts fading away,β
Thou wouldst still be ador'd as this moment thou art,
Β Β Β Β Let thy loveliness fade as it will;
And, around the dear ruin each wish of my heart
Β Β Β Β Would entwine itself verdantly still!
Β II.
It is not while beauty and youth are thine own,
Β Β Β Β And thy cheeks unprofan'd by a tear,
That the fervour and faith of a soul can be known,
Β Β Β Β To which time will but make thee more dear!
Oh! the heart, that has truly lov'd, never forgets,
Β Β Β Β But as truly loves on to the close;
As theΒ sun-flower turns on her god, when he sets,
Β Β Β Β The same look which she turn'd when he rose.
@aileenvangramberg1790
I am 87 years old and I remember my Mum singing this song Eileen Elllana to me as a little baby girl.
@WilliamMurray-lr1bb
He died the year I was born , 1945 ..... a truly magnificent vocalist !
@shaymoore1260
My grandmother told me she saw him sing in Johannesburg south africa i think in the 1940s she said he was not happy with the acoustics in the theatre so he found singing with his back to the audience had a better result loved his voice all my life
@michaelhiggins5341
Oh how I weep with joy hearing such a beautiful voice perform this precious song.
@blessOTMA
One can hear centuries of love and loss in this voice. Bless him! Thank you for posting!
@evelynoconnor3062
JOHN MC CORMACK ALWAYS GIVES A TRULY GLORIOUS PERFORMANCE IN EACH ONE OF HIS SONGS
@hubertusheuel3693
Diese Stimme ist einfach unglaublich schΓΆn. Man bekommt regelrecht Sehnsucht nach diesem Killarney. Was muss es dort schΓΆn sein, wenn es dermaΓen inbrΓΌnstig besungen wird.
@AmosPressley
It brings a tear, not only because of beauty and the subject matter of the songs, but because of the wasteland that is our own culture. If someone were to sing these songs in most of our entertainment venues, the crowd would shout them down.
@michaelhiggins5341
Sir, my sentiments completely, thank you so very much for your on the mark comment.
@michaelmckenna6464
I never knew that there were any John McCormick performances in color!
He had a unique voice that was made for the early acoustic recordings of the time when he was at his peak in the 1910s.