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 CĂŠsar 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.
When Irish Eyes Are Smiling
John Mccormack Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm wondering why,
For it never should be there at all.
With such pow'r in your smile,
Sure a stone you'd beguile,
So there's never a teardrop should fall.
When your sweet lilting laughter's
Like some fairy song,
You should laugh all the while
And all other times smile,
And now, smile a smile for me.
When Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, 'tis like the morn in Spring.
In the lilt of Irish laughter
You can hear the angels sing.
When Irish hearts are happy,
All the world seems bright and gay.
And when Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, they steal your heart away.
For your smile is a part
Of the love in your heart,
And it makes even sunshine more bright.
Like the linnet's sweet song,
Crooning all the day long,
Comes your laughter and light.
For the springtime of life
Is the sweetest of all
There is ne'er a real care or regret;
And while springtime is ours
Throughout all of youth's hours,
Let us smile each chance we get.
The lyrics of John McCormack's song present an optimistic view of the Irish spirit. In the opening verse, he notices that there's a tear in the eye of the person he's addressing and wonders why. In his opinion, there should never be a sorrowful tear when the powerful smile of the subject has the ability to beguile even a stone. McCormack suggests that the subject should always wear a smile as they have a sweet lilting laughter that sounds like a fairy song while their eyes sparkle like bright stars. It goes on to suggest that their smile is a reflection of the love in their heart and that it makes sunshine seem brighter. McCormack recommends that the subject should laugh all the time and smile in every situation, urging them to smile a smile for him.
The chorus of the song 'When Irish Eyes Are Smiling' further expands on the idea of an Irish personâs laugh and their heart. McCormack notes that when Irish eyes are smiling, it is like the morning in spring; the lilt of an Irish laughter is something that even the birds, or angels, join. The verse continues with the idea that when an Irish person's heart is happy, the world we live in appears bright and cheerful. The chorus concludes with the notion that when the Irish smile, they can easily steal someoneâs heart.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a tear in your eye,
I see that you're crying and I'm curious about the reason, since there's no reason to cry when you have such a beautiful smile.
And I'm wondering why,
I'm curious as to what could have caused you to shed tears.
For it never should be there at all.
There should be no reason to cry since your smile has the power to charm even the stones.
With such pow'r in your smile,
Your smile holds so much power that it should be enough to keep you happy without tears.
Sure a stone you'd beguile,
Your smile is so captivating and charming, it could even captivate a stone.
So there's never a teardrop should fall.
Your smile is so powerful that you should never have a reason to shed tears.
When your sweet lilting laughter's
Your gently beautiful and sweet laughter
Like some fairy song,
Is like the beautiful and magical song of the fairies.
And your eyes twinkle bright as can be;
Your eyes shine gleefully and brilliantly.
You should laugh all the while
You should always be laughing and enjoying life.
And all other times smile,
Even when you're not laughing, you should always wear a smile.
And now, smile a smile for me.
So now, please grace me with your brilliant and beautiful smile.
When Irish eyes are smiling,
When someone with Irish lineage is happy,
Sure, 'tis like the morn in Spring.
Their light and happiness is like the beautiful and fresh morning of spring.
In the lilt of Irish laughter
The musical sound of an Irish laugh
You can hear the angels sing.
Is as beautiful and angelic as the sound of angels singing.
When Irish hearts are happy,
When an Irish person's heart is full of joy and happiness,
All the world seems bright and gay.
The whole world is filled with shimmering light and beauty.
And when Irish eyes are smiling,
When an Irish person's eyes shine gleefully with happiness,
Sure, they steal your heart away.
It's hard not to be captivated and charmed when you see their joy.
For your smile is a part
Your smile is a reflection of
Of the love in your heart,
the love that you carry inside of you,
And it makes even sunshine more bright.
And it brightens everything around you, even the already perfect and bright sunshine.
Like the linnet's sweet song,
Your laughter is as sweet and musical as the song of the linnet bird,
Crooning all the day long,
Singing all through the day,
Comes your laughter and light.
With your laugh comes a light and energy that shines all around.
For the springtime of life
Youthful and unburdened times of life,
Is the sweetest of all
Is the greatest of all times and should be cherished,
There is ne'er a real care or regret;
There are no real worries or diappointments during those times.
And while springtime is ours
While we have the spring of life,
Throughout all of youth's hours,
Throughout every moment of our youth,
Let us smile each chance we get.
We should always wear a smile and make the most of this glorious time in our lives.
Writer(s): Chauncey Olcott, Ball, Olcott, Ernest R. Ball, George Graff, Graff
Contributed by Landon R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@luciusvanini4759
Went from my farm at Cornaglagh, County Leitrim to McCormack's hometown Athlone, in August 1994, to visit the John McCormack Museum.... Unforgettable.... Erin go bragh. Love Erin till I die.
@booboojamie936
Listening in 2023 any1?? â¤
@toyman77
My Mothers favorite by John. She just passed away three days ago at the age of 91, two months shy of 92. Mother of 10 children! This song was also her mothers favorite, who saw him live in NYC quite a while ago!! We love you Mom! God bless you in the lords kingdom!
@horationelson9754
When was the conecert
@bcb147
Love it. Thank you for sharing!!!
@avasemaan6995
I'm not Irish at all but I used to sing this to old people at nursing homes as a child. They would all start crying or getting teary-eyed when I sang this. They are all long dead now. RIP
@billzebub2219
John McCormack could never have imagined that this performance would be enjoyed in 2016 and beyond.
@geertdehoux8257
Well thought!
@neliusflynn57
@@geertdehoux8257 and on St. Patrick's Day 2020.....with the Corona Virus rampant.....grim evening.
@Lullylover
And also enjoyed by a German. Greetings from Coburg to beautiful Ireland.