Goodnight Irene
Lonnie Donegan Lyrics


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Last Saturday night I got married
Me and my wife settled down
But me and my wife have parted
I'm gonna take another stroll downtown

Irene goodnight (goodnight Irene)
Irene goodnight
Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene
I'll get you in my dream

Stop your ramblin'
Stop your gamblin'
Stop stayin' out late, late at night
Go home to your wife and your family
Sit down by your fireside so bright

Irene goodnight (Irene)
Irene goodnight
Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene
I'll get you in my dream

I love Irene and I swear I do (yes)
Love 'er, love 'er, love 'er, love 'er, love 'er
Love 'er, love 'er, love 'er, love 'er
Still the sea runs dry
And if Irene ever turns her back on me
I'm gonna take morphine and die

Irene goodnight
Goodnight, goodnight, goodnight
Goodnight, goodnight, goodnight
Irene goodnight




Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene
I'll get you in my dream

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Lonnie Donegan's "Goodnight Irene" may seem a bit confusing. The first two verses describe the singer's recent marriage and subsequent separation from their partner, which has led them to go out and wander the streets. In contrast, the chorus is a farewell to "Irene," who the singer seems to have loved, with the repeated phrase "goodnight Irene" serving as a kind of goodbye to this absent beloved. The final verse speaks to the singer's deep love for Irene, implying that it is stronger than the singer's desire to live, with the line "I'm gonna take morphine and die" leaving the listener with a sense of the singer's desperation.


However, the song can also be interpreted on a broader level as a reflection of the African American experience in the early 20th century. The character of Irene may represent the freedom and respite from hardship that African Americans found in music, nightlife, and other forms of recreation. However, the song's admonishments to "stop your ramblin', stop your gamblin'" and "go home to your wife and your family" can be seen as a commentary on the societal pressures to conform to white norms, to renounce the freedom that African Americans found in forms of pleasure that were deemed inappropriate and to attempt to fit into the structure of society by conforming to white values.


Line by Line Meaning

Last Saturday night I got married
I recently got married.


Me and my wife settled down
My wife and I started a new life together.


But me and my wife have parted
Unfortunately, we have separated.


I'm gonna take another stroll downtown
I plan to go out and have some fun.


Irene goodnight (goodnight Irene)
I bid farewell to Irene.


Stop your ramblin'
Stop wandering aimlessly.


Stop your gamblin'
Stop taking unnecessary risks.


Stop stayin' out late, late at night
Stop staying out late at night.


Go home to your wife and your family
Return home to your loved ones.


Sit down by your fireside so bright
Relax and spend time with your family by the fireplace.


Irene goodnight (Irene)
I say goodbye to Irene once again.


I love Irene and I swear I do (yes)
I truly love Irene.


Love 'er, love 'er, love 'er, love 'er, love 'er
I express my deep love for her repeatedly.


Love 'er, love 'er, love 'er, love 'er
I can never love her enough.


Still the sea runs dry
My love for Irene will never fade.


And if Irene ever turns her back on me
If Irene rejects me,


I'm gonna take morphine and die
I will resort to taking morphine and end my life.


Irene goodnight
Once again, goodbye to Irene.


Goodnight, goodnight, goodnight
I bid a final farewell to Irene.


Goodnight, goodnight, goodnight
I say goodnight to Irene repeatedly.


Irene goodnight
My last goodbye to Irene.


Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene
I finally say goodnight to Irene.


I'll get you in my dream
I will dream of Irene tonight.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Huddie Ledbetter, John Lomax

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Mike Hannon


on Wabash Cannonball

If you want the donegan lyrics from the recording this link has provided instead of the johnny cash ones they are as fallows;

Wabash Cannonball
by Lonnie Donegan

She came down from Birmingham, one cold December day
As she rolled into the station, you could hear the people say
That train from Indiana, she's long and she's tall...
That’s a combination called the Wabash Cannonball

Listen to the jingle, the rumble and the roar
As she comes down the mountains through the hills and by the shore
Hear the mighty rush of the engine, hear the lonesome hobos call
He’s racing through the jungle on the Wabash Cannon Ball

From the great Atlantic Ocean to the wide Pacific shore
From the green and flowing mountains to the old mill by the moor
She's long and handsome, and quite well known by all...
That’s a combination called the Wabash Cannonball

Listen to the jingle, the rumble and the roar
As she comes down the mountains through the hills and by the shore
Hear the mighty rush of the engine, hear the lonesome hobos call
He’s racing through the jungle on the Wabash Cannon Ball

Well here's to that old engineer his name will ever stand
And always be remembered in the courts throughout the land
When his mighty race is over and the curtains 'round him fall...
It'll carry him back to dixie on the Wabash Cannon Ball

Listen to the jingle, the rumble and the roar
As she comes down the mountains through the hills and by the shore
Hear the mighty rush of the engine, hear the lonesome hobos call
Yeah he’s racing through the jungle on the Wabash Cannon Ball

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