A popular and long-running Canadian-Irish folk group that saw their beginni… Read Full Bio ↴A popular and long-running Canadian-Irish folk group that saw their beginning in the 1960s, The Irish Rovers are particularly well-known for their hit recording of Shel Silverstein's "The Unicorn," although a great many more of their characteristically happy and oft-comical songs remain well-known to this day. In 2010, the band celebrated 45 years as recording artists, with their latest CD, "Gracehill Fair" and filming the DVD/television special "Home in Ireland", shot entirely on-location, throughout the northwest coast of Ireland. George Millar says, “It’s basically The Irish Rovers ‘Coming Home’ because this is our home, for all of us. We want to show the world what the northwest Irish coast is like. I’ve traveled the world now for over 40 years and there’s nothing like it.”

In 1968, the predecessor of the Juno’s named The Irish Rovers Canada’s, “Folk Group of the Year”, and the following year, they received a Grammy nomination for “Folk Performance of the Year”.

As hosts of three national television series in Canada and Ireland, through the 1970's and 80s, The Irish Rovers increased the popularity of Irish music by way of the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation).

Canada's Prime Minister, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, personally asked the band if they could “please become Canadian” so that they could officially represent Canada throughout the world. Since then, they have represented Canada at no less than five world Expos, and in recognition for a quarter century of contributions to the International music world, The Irish Rovers won the Performing Rights Organization's (PROCAN) 'Harold Moon Award'.

Although all members of the band hail from Ireland, a number of their biggest hits were often "non-Irish". Their own rousing, traditional Irish compositions, however, do comprise the bulk of their music.

By the 90’s, their songwriting was even more prolific than their early years, and production of albums wasn’t about to slow down. Since they desired the freedom that as a younger band, they could not afford, in ’93 The Irish Rovers established their own record company, Rover Records. Their songs tell the story of the Irish, whether it’s a lost love, a sailor on leave, or the simple good taste of a Guinness. Rover Records has put out their last eleven albums, including Celtic Collection, Come Fill Up Your Glasses, Down by the Lagan Side, Another Round, Still Rovin', a Christmas album, and their greatest hits, 40 Years A-Rovin'.

Founding member George Millar is from Ballymena, original member Wilcil McDowell is from Larne, John Reynolds from Belfast, Sean O'Driscoll from Cork, Ian Millar from Ballymena, and percussionist Fred Graham is also from Belfast.

Former members include founding member Jimmy Ferguson who passed away in 1997 and Joe Millar.

All Through the Night
The Irish Rovers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The day is my enemy, the night my friend,
For I'm always so alone
Till the day draws to an end.
But when the sun goes down
And the moon comes through,
To the monotone of the evening's drone
I'm all alone with you.

All through the night,
I delight in your love,
All through the night, you're so close to me.
All through the night, from a height far above,
You and your love brings me ecstasy.

When dawn comes to waken me
You're never there at all.
I know you've forsaken me,
Till the shadows fall.
But then once again
I can dream,
I've the right

To be close to you
All through the night.

Overall Meaning

The Irish Rovers's song All Through the Night speaks to the idea of finding solace and comfort in someone you love during the lonely times of day. The lyrics suggest a sense of hopelessness and despair that comes with being alone during the day, but this is alleviated by the presence of the loved one at night. The singer is taken to a higher level of happiness, "from a height far above" by the comfort of their love, which in turn brings them "ecstasy".

The rhythm of the verse gives the sense of the monotony of day, suggesting a drudgery of passing time. This idea of monotony is continued with the 'monotone of the evening's drone', with the use of the word 'drone' suggesting a low, unchanging, and perhaps mournful sound. Yet, as night falls, there is a shift in tone, with the singer finding a connection with their loved one, and a chance to dream of spending the time with them "All through the night." The song highlights the power, relief, and joy that comes with finding love that inspires the ability to endure the difficulties of life.

Line by Line Meaning

The day is my enemy, the night my friend,
During the day, I feel lonely and defeated, but at night, I find comfort in my solitude.

For I'm always so alone
I spend most of my time in isolation, without anyone to share my thoughts and feelings.

Till the day draws to an end.
My loneliness persists throughout the day, until it's time for the world to sleep.

But when the sun goes down
After sunset, the world grows quieter and darker, and I feel a sense of relief.

And the moon comes through,
The moonlight serves as a gentle reminder that I'm not entirely alone in the world.

To the monotone of the evening's drone
The stillness of the night is only interrupted by the sound of crickets chirping and leaves rustling.

I'm all alone with you.
Despite being physically alone, I feel a sense of closeness to someone special.

All through the night,
Throughout the dark hours, I feel a sense of comfort and love.

I delight in your love,
The affection I feel for this person fills me with joy and happiness.

All through the night, you're so close to me.
Even though we're not together, I feel their presence as if they were by my side.

All through the night, from a height far above,
The love we share is so powerful and transcendent that it feels like it's coming from a divine place.

You and your love brings me ecstasy.
Feeling their presence and love brings me a sense of intense joy and pleasure.

When dawn comes to waken me
As the night comes to an end and the sun rises, my sense of comfort and happiness fades away.

You're never there at all.
The person I love is still physically absent and out of reach.

I know you've forsaken me,
I realize that they're not intentionally leaving me, but circumstances have kept us apart.

Till the shadows fall.
But as night falls once again, I hold onto the hope that we'll be together soon.

But then once again
As the night falls, my sense of closeness to them is reignited.

I can dream,
In the quiet of the night, I allow myself to imagine a future where we can be together.

I've the right
Despite the challenges we face, I believe that my love for them gives me the right to hope and dream.

To be close to you
And I know that as long as I hold onto that love, I'll always feel close to them, no matter how far apart we are.

All through the night.
And for that brief time, the night feels like our own special world, where love can transcend any obstacle.

Lyrics © RAOUL BRETON EDITIONS, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Traditional, Evan Jolly

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS