Kelly was one of the best-known figures of the Irish folk music movement of the 1960s and 1970s. A Dubliner from the north inner city, he attended O'Connell's Schools before emigrating to Britain in 1958. There he first became involved in the growing international folk music scene in which Ewan MacColl was a central figure, as well as joining the Communist Party of Great Britain.
In 1962 Luke Kelly returned to Dublin and quickly became a central figure in the city's burgeoning folk music community, playing in sessions in O'Donoghue's Pub on Merrion Row with the likes of Ronnie Drew, Barney McKenna and The Fureys. Not long after, he ended up forming a folk group with Drew, McKenna, Ciaran Bourke and John Sheahan, which he named The Dubliners. In 1965, Kelly married the actress Deirdre O'Connell, one of the founders of the Focus Theatre.
In the mid-1960s, Luke moved to England for a while. On returning, he rejoined the Dubliners. His interpretations of "Raglan Road" (a poem by Patrick Kavanagh) and Scorn Not His Simplicity were significant musical achievements and became points of reference in Irish folk music. Luke remained a politically engaged musician, and many of the songs he recorded dealt with social issues, the arms race and war, workers' rights and Irish nationalism, ("The Springhill Disaster", "Second World Song", "When Margaret was Eleven", "Joe Hill", "The Button Pusher", "Alabama 1958" and "God Save Ireland" all being good examples of his concerns). One of the Dubliners' seminal albums was titled Revolution. In the socially and politically conservative atmosphere of the Republic of Ireland at the time, this was notable.
Luke Kelly was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 1980, and died in 1984. He remains a Dublin icon and his music is widely regarded as one of the city's cultural treasures.
The Ballybough Bridge in the north inner city of Dublin has been renamed the The Luke Kelly Bridge and in November 2004, the Dublin city council voted unanimously to erect a bronze statue of Luke Kelly. The location for the statue had not yet been decided upon.
From Dublin streets and roads and down the years
Came great musicians and balladeers
There was a special one, a red haired minstrel boy
And when he passed away, a city mourned its favourite son
All round the markets and down the quays
The sad news it spread to the Liberties
The minstrel boy is gone, he'll sing no more
And Luke somehow we know, we'll never see your likes again
Scorn Not His Simplicity
Luke Kelly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With the golden hair
Yet eyes that snow the emptiness inside
Do we know
Can we understand just how he feels
Or have we really tried
See him now
And watches children play a children's game
Simple child
He looks almost like the others
Yet they know he's not the same
Scorn not his simplicity
But rather try to love him all the more
Scorn not his simplicity
Oh no
Oh no
See him stare
Not recognizing the kind face
That only yesterday he loved
The loving face
Of a mother who can't understand what she's been guilty of
How she cried tears of happiness
The day the doctor told her it's a boy
Now she cries tears of helplessness
And thinks of all the things he can't enjoy
Scorn not his simplicity
But rather try to love him all the more
Scorn not his simplicity
Oh no
Oh no
Only he knows how to face the future hopefully
Surrounded by despair
He won't ask for your pity or your sympathy
But surely you should care
Scorn not his simplicity
But rather try to love him all the more
Scorn not his simplicity
Oh no
Oh no
Oh no
Luke Kelly's song "Scorn Not His Simplicity" tells the story of a child with golden hair and empty eyes, who stands alone watching other children play. He looks like the rest of the kids, but they can tell he's different. In these lyrics, Kelly is highlighting the challenges of raising a child with special needs and the importance of showing love and understanding to those who may not fit society's norms.
The child's mother experiences conflicting emotions, from crying tears of happiness when she found out she had a boy, to tears of helplessness as she watches him struggle to enjoy life. The child, however, knows how to face the future with hope, even though he is surrounded by despair. He doesn't ask for pity or sympathy, but only that others show him love and care.
The chorus of the song urges listeners to not scorn the child's simplicity but to love him even more. The word "simplicity" here refers not to a lack of intelligence, but to the child's innocent and pure spirit, unburdened by the complexities and prejudices of the world.
Overall, "Scorn Not His Simplicity" is a touching reminder that every individual, regardless of their differences, deserves to be loved and accepted.
Line by Line Meaning
See the child
Look at this child
With the golden hair
He has golden hair
Yet eyes that show the emptiness inside
But his eyes look sad and empty
Do we know
Do we understand
Can we understand just how he feels
Do we really know what he's going through
Or have we really tried
Have we made an effort to understand him
See him now
Look at him now
As he stands alone
He's standing by himself
And watches children play a children's game
He's watching other kids play
Simple child
He seems like a simple kid
He looks almost like the others
He looks like the other kids
Yet they know he's not the same
But they can tell he's different from them
Scorn not his simplicity
Don't look down upon him because he's simple
But rather try to love him all the more
Instead, try to love him more
Scorn not his simplicity
Don't judge him unfairly
Oh no
Don't do it
See him stare
Look at him staring
Not recognizing the kind face
He doesn't recognize someone who was kind to him before
That only yesterday he loved
Someone he loved just the day before
The loving face
The face of someone who loves him
Of a mother who can't understand what she's been guilty of
His mother doesn't know how to deal with him properly
How she cried tears of happiness
She cried joyful tears
The day the doctor told her it's a boy
When the doctor said she had a baby boy
Now she cries tears of helplessness
Now she cries because she feels helpless
And thinks of all the things he can't enjoy
She's sad thinking about all the things he can't do
Only he knows how to face the future hopefully
He's the only one who knows how to be optimistic
Surrounded by despair
Even though he's surrounded by hopelessness
He won't ask for your pity or your sympathy
He's not asking for your pity or sympathy
But surely you should care
But you should care
Scorn not his simplicity
Don't judge him unfairly
But rather try to love him all the more
Instead, try to love him more
Scorn not his simplicity
Don't look down upon him because he's simple
Oh no
Don't do it
Oh no
Don't do it
Oh no
Don't do it
Writer(s): PHIL COULTER
Contributed by Leah J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Michael john Cronin
as the proud dad of a special needs child, this song melts my heart. respect luke, R.I.P.
Madeline Dunne
Respect Phil culter for writing it what a song...my god
Andrew Odonoghue
Same here
June Carty
I just wish the subtitled lyrics were correct ....beautiful song by Phil , sung by Luke . My own daughter has a special needs and one day while visiting his teacher we watched while he stood in the playground , just bewildered by the noise and games going on .....that picture sticks in our minds and broke our hearts .
Vi Todd
Never….EVER….tire of listening to this fantastic version of this beautiful song…..sang with passion and such deep feeling - a very personal song and this has certainly done it justice…RIP dear Luke…..😢
Bobby Edge
As an adult with highly functioning autism I can relate to this song. May the truest legend R.I.P🙏🙏
William Drawdy2
Godbless
John Mccaffrey
Hi there, that was a beautiful comment, my son is autistic and has adhd , he is one of the most beautiful caring human beings I know, I thought of him as soon as I heard this song, luke Kelly is a legend
Marie Matthews
My Son passed away in 2006 after 20 year's of living with Cerebral Palsy. He lived a wonderful life of love and laughter .He was a massive Luke fan. I would not change an inch of Our lives with him. This songs brings me to tears and always has done, It now reminds me of his big brown eyes full of wonder, awe and smiles regardless how tough his day was or how much pain he was in.. I listen in wonder and awe and smile now to the memory of my forever Hero :)
Ryan Foley
Still hits the same in 2021. R.I.P Luke, what a legend of Ireland 🇮🇪