During the war she toured Egypt, India, and Burma (Myanmar) as part of ENSA, giving outdoor concerts for the troops. The songs most associated with her are "We'll Meet Again", "The White Cliffs of Dover", "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" and "There'll Always Be an England".
She remained popular after the war, appearing on radio and television in the UK and the US and recording such hits as "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" and her UK Number one single "My Son, My Son". Her last single, "I Love This Land", was released to mark the end of the Falklands War. In 2009, at age 92, she became the oldest living artist to top the UK Albums Chart.
She has devoted much time and energy to charity work connected with ex-servicemen, disabled children, and breast cancer. She is held in great affection by veterans of the Second World War to this day and in 2000 was named the Briton who best exemplified the spirit of the 20th century.
On 20th March, 2017 Dame Vera celebrated her 100th birthday.
Vera Margaret Welch was born in East Ham, London. She began performing publicly at the age of seven and adopted her maternal grandmother's maiden name, Margaret Lynn, as her stage name when she was eleven. Her first radio broadcast, with the Joe Loss Orchestra, was in 1935. At this point she was being featured on records released by dance bands including those of Loss and of Charlie Kunz.
Vera Lynn made her solo recording debut with the song "The General's Fast Asleep" on the 3rd October 1935, accompanied by the Rhythm Rascals (A pseudonym for Jay Wilbur's orchestra). The 9" 78 rpm single was issued on the Crown Records label, which went on to release a total of 8 singles recorded by Vera Lynn and Charles Smart on organ. Early recordings include "I'm in the Mood for Love" and "Red Sails in the Sunset".
In 1938 the Decca label took over control of the British Crown label and the UK based Rex label, they had also issued early singles from Lynn in 1937, including "Harbour Lights". In late September 1939 Vera Lynn first recorded a song that continues to be associated with her: "We'll Meet Again" was originally recorded with Arthur Young on the Novachord.
In 1940 she began her own radio series, "Sincerely Yours", sending messages to British troops stationed abroad. In this radio show she and a quartet performed the songs most requested to her by soldiers stationed abroad. She also went into hospitals to interview new mothers and send messages to their husbands overseas. She toured Burma and gave outdoor concerts for soldiers.
In 1941 Vera Lynn married Harry Lewis, clarinettist, saxophonist and fellow member of Bert Ambrose's orchestra.
In 1942 she recorded the Ross Parker/Hughie Charles song "We'll Meet Again" while making the film of the same name. The nostalgic lyrics ("We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when, but I know we'll meet again some sunny day") had a great appeal to the many people separated from loved ones during the war, and it became one of the emblematic songs of the wartime period.
After the war, her "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" became the first record by a British artist to top the US charts, doing so for nine weeks, and she appeared regularly on Tallulah Bankhead's US radio programme "The Big Show". "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart", along with "The Homing Waltz" and "Forget-Me-Not" gave Lynn a remarkable three entries on the first UK Singles Chart, a top 12 (which contained 15 songs owing to tied positions).
Lynn's career flourished in the 1950s, peaking with "My Son, My Son", a number-one hit in 1954. It was co-written by Eddie Calvert.
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s the Decca label issued all of Lynn's records, including several recorded with Mantovani and His Orchestra in 1942 and with Robert Farnon, from the late 1940s. Firstly they were only available as 78 rpm singles, which only feature two songs an A and a B-side. In the mid-1950s Decca issued several EP singles, which featured between two and four recordings per side, such as Vera Lynn's Party Sing Song from 1954 and singles were issued on two formats the known 78 rpm 10" and the recently introduced 45 rpm 7" single. In the late 1950s Lynn recorded four albums at Decca, the first; Vera Lynn Concert remains her only live recording ever to be issued on vinyl.
In 1960, after more than 20 years at Decca Records, Lynn signed to the US based MGM Records. In the UK her recordings were distributed by the His Masters Voice label, later EMI Records. Several albums and stand-alone singles were recorded with Geoff Love & His Orchestra. Norman Newell also took over as Lynn's producer in this period and remained with her until her 1976 album Christmas with Vera Lynn. Recording at EMI Records up until 1977, Lynn released thirteen albums with material as diverse as traditional Hymns, pop and country songs, as well as re-recording many of her known songs from the 1940s for the albums Hits of the Blitz (1962), More Hits of the Blitz and Vera Lynn Remembers – The World at War (1974). In the 1980s two albums of contemporary pop songs were recorded at the Pye Records label, both including covers of songs previously recorded by artists such as ABBA and Barry Manilow.
In 1982 Lynn released the stand-alone single "I Love This Land", written by André Previn, to mark the end of the Falklands War. Lynn's last recordings before her retirement were issued on the 1984 album Vera Lynn Remembers, produced by her husband, Harry. The album featured 17 re-recordings of songs known and associated with Lynn over her career.
Lynn was awarded the British War Medal 1939–1945 and the Burma Star.
She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1969 New Year Honours "for services to the Royal Air Forces Association and other charities", and was advanced to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 1975 Birthday Honours for charitable services.
In 1976 she received an honorary doctorate from the Memorial University of Newfoundland. In 1977 She was made an honorary citizen of Nashville, Tennessee. She received the Freedom of the City of London in 1978.
She was made a Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau in 1985. She was made an Officer of the Order of Saint John (OStJ) in 1998 and, in 2000, Lynn received a special "Spirit of the 20th Century" Award.
A street named in her honour, Vera Lynn Close, is situated in Forest Gate, London.
She was appointed Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to entertainment and charity.
A preserved example of the WD Austerity 2-10-0 class of steam locomotives at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway is named Dame Vera Lynn.
The Little Drummer Boy
Vera Lynn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Our newborn King to see, pa-rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring pa-rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King pa-rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum. rum pum pum pum
So to honor Him pa-rum pum pum pum
When we come
I am a poor boy too, pa-rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring pa-rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give our King pa- rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
Shall I play for you, pa-rum pum pum pum
on my drum?
Mary nodded pa-rum pum pum pum
The Ox and Lamb kept time pa-rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him pa-rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him pa -rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
Then He smiled at me pa-rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum
"The Little Drummer Boy" is a poignant Christmas song that tells the story of a boy who comes to see the newborn King. The song begins with the boy being told by others to come and see the baby Jesus. The boy, with no gift to bring, offers to play his drum instead in honor of the King. Mary nods in agreement and the ox and lamb keep time as the boy plays his drum for the newborn King. The boy plays his best for the King and in return, the King smiles at him.
The song captures the essence of Christmas, demonstrating that people come together to celebrate the birth of Jesus despite their socioeconomic status or the number of gifts they have to offer. The lyrics also show the importance of giving from the heart, as the boy's simple gift of playing his drum is enough to honor the King.
Overall, "The Little Drummer Boy" is a sweet reminder that Christmas is about more than material possessions, but rather about spending time with loved ones and expressing gratitude for life's blessings.
Line by Line Meaning
Come, they told me pa-rum pum pum pum
I was told to come and see the King by making the sound of drums.
Our newborn King to see, pa-rum pum pum pum
We have come to see the new King, and we will do it by playing the drums in his honor.
Our finest gifts we bring pa-rum pum pum pum
We are bringing our best gifts to present them to the King along with the beats of our drums.
To lay before the King pa-rum pum pum pum
We want to lay our gifts and music at the feet of the King as an offering.
Rum pum pum pum. rum pum pum pum
The sound of the drums signifies our devotion towards the King, along with our offerings.
So to honor Him pa-rum pum pum pum
We want to honor the King with our music and the gifts that we have brought for him.
When we come
We will come to see the King with great reverence and respect.
Little Baby pa-rum pum pum pum
The King may be little and young, but our respect for him will continue to be as great as our drumbeats.
I am a poor boy too, pa-rum pum pum pum
Just like the King is young, I too am young and may not have many riches to offer, but I will honor him with my music.
I have no gift to bring pa-rum pum pum pum
I may not have much of worldly gifts, but what I can offer is something that comes from within, and that is music.
That's fit to give our King pa- rum pum pum pum
The gift of music is the most fitting one to offer our King, for it comes from the soul.
Shall I play for you, pa-rum pum pum pum on my drum?
May I have the honor of playing my drum for you, Oh Mighty King?
Mary nodded pa-rum pum pum pum
The mother of the King, Mary, gave me permission to play my drum for the baby King.
The Ox and Lamb kept time pa-rum pum pum pum
Even the Ox and Lamb knew the importance of the moment, and they kept the beat with my drum as I played for the baby King.
I played my drum for Him pa-rum pum pum pum
I played my drum with great devotion and honor, for the King deserved nothing less.
I played my best for Him pa -rum pum pum pum
I played my drum to the best of my abilities, pouring all of my heart and soul into the music, for the King deserved nothing less.
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
The constant beat of the drum signifies my devotion and love towards the King, which will never cease.
Then He smiled at me pa-rum pum pum pum
The King smiled at me, for he knew that the beat of my drum came from a place of pure love and devotion towards him.
Me and my drum
Together, me and my drum will continue to play with great devotion and honor for the King, for he deserves nothing less than our best.
Lyrics © INTERNATIONAL KORWIN CORP, ONErpm, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Harry Simeone, Henry V Onorati, Katherine Kennicot Davis, Lorenzo Definti
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind