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.
Until It's Time For You To Go
Vera Lynn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're not an angel
You're a woman
I'm not a king,
I'm a man,
Take my hand
We'll make a space
In the lives that we planned
Until it's time for you to go
Yes, we're diff'rent worlds apart
We're not the same
We laughed and played
At the start like in a game
You could have stayed
Outside my heart
But in you came
And here you'll stay
Until it's time for you to go
Don't ask why,
Don't ask how
Don't ask forever,
Love me now
This love of mine
Had no beginning
It has no end
I was an oak,
Now I'm a willow
Now I can bend
And tho' I'll never
In my life see you again
I still stay
Until it's time for you to go
The lyrics to Vera Lynn's song "Until It's Time For You To Go" describe the tumultuous journey of a man and a woman's relationship. The song begins with the man acknowledging that the woman is not just a dream or an angel, but rather a flawed yet beautiful human being. He also accepts his own imperfections, stating that he is not a king but just a man. However, despite their differences, they both decide to create a special place for themselves amidst the chaos of their lives. The man says that they will stay together until fate inevitably separates them.
The second verse touches on the fact that the couple comes from vastly different backgrounds and have had completely different life experiences. Despite this, they initially enjoy each other's company like children at play. However, as their relationship deepens, the woman becomes a permanent fixture in the man's life. The man reflects upon the fact that he could have easily shut her out of his heart, but instead he chose to let her in. He again asserts that they are just two people who have found a rare connection with one another.
The final verse is perhaps the most poignant part of the song. The man acknowledges that he and the woman will probably never see each other again. However, he has accepted that their love has no beginning and no end. He no longer sees himself as a rigid and unyielding oak tree, but rather a flexible and swaying willow. He promises to stay with the woman until the very end, despite knowing that their journey together will one day come to an end. The overall theme of the song seems to be the beauty in accepting people for who they are, despite knowing that everything must come to an end eventually.
Line by Line Meaning
You're not a dream
You're not just something imaginary or unattainable
You're not an angel
You're not a supernatural being with wings and halo
You're a woman
You're a human being of the female gender
I'm not a king,
I'm not a ruler with supreme authority
I'm a man,
I'm a male human being
Take my hand
Hold my hand as a gesture of companionship and support
We'll make a space
We'll create a place for ourselves in the world
In the lives that we planned
In the future that we envisioned and hoped for ourselves
And here we'll stay
We'll remain together in this moment and place
Until it's time for you to go
Until the time when you have to leave or part ways
Yes, we're diff'rent worlds apart
We come from different backgrounds and experiences
We're not the same
We're not identical or homogeneous
We laughed and played
We enjoyed each other's company and had fun
At the start like in a game
At the beginning, it was like a playful and innocent competition
You could have stayed
You had the choice to not get involved with me
Outside my heart
Without entering into my emotions or inner world
But in you came
But you chose to be with me and enter into my life
And here you'll stay
And you'll continue to be with me in this moment and place
Until it's time for you to go
Until the time when you have to leave or part ways
Don't ask why,
Don't question the reason or motive behind our love
Don't ask how
Don't wonder about the process or mechanism of our love
Don't ask forever,
Don't demand a guarantee or certainty of eternity in our love
Love me now
Just love me in the present moment and experience
This love of mine
My feelings and attachment towards you
Had no beginning
It's hard to pinpoint when or how these feelings started
It has no end
It's hard to predict how long or in what form these feelings will last
I was an oak,
I used to be rigid and unyielding in my ways and beliefs
Now I'm a willow
Now I'm more flexible and adaptable to changes and challenges
Now I can bend
Now I can adjust my stance and position to accommodate others
And tho' I'll never
And even though I might never
In my life see you again
Encounter you again in my future existence
I still stay
I'll still be committed and faithful to this feeling and memory
Until it's time for you to go
Until the time when you have to leave or part ways
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Buffy Sainte-Marie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Daniel Victor
You're not a dream
You're not an angel
You're a man
I'm not a quenn
I'm a woman
Take my hand
We'll make a space
In the lives that we planned
And here we'll stay
Until it's time for you to go
Yes, we're diff'rent worlds apart
We're not the same
We laughed and played
At the start like in a game
You could have stayed
Outside my heart
But in you came
And here you'll stay
Until it's time for you to go
Don't ask why,
Don't ask how
Don't ask forever,
Love me now
This love of mine
Had no beginning
It has no end
I was an oak,
Now I'm a willow
Now I can bend
And tho' I'll never
In my life see you again
I still stay
Until it's time for you to go
Darren Townend
i consider myself a vera lynn fan and yet i didnt know she sang one of my favourite songs
Kelvin Venema
@Daniel Victor thanks you!
Daniel Victor
Vera Lynn playlist for you
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlhjCZTvLaYr4DPl5fdfD_kKgqlqks5Y3
Kinura8
I could listen to this over-and-over. Thanks for posting!
Mary Cheung
WOW - I LOVE IT - I DIDN'T KNOW VERA SANG THIS SONG - CAN'T STOP LISTENING - THANKS FOR POSTING - BLESS YOU
Pat Cattin
Me neither. Vera was a voice resilience and hope in World War 2 and shared her joy til the end. We lost Vera at 103 in 2020.
Kelvin Venema
Rest in peace Dame Vera Lynn 1917-2020. Thanks you for your service! We will meet again!
Paul Fisher
This song is even more impressive when you know Buffie St. Marie's true love story behind it. It involves a romantic weekend she spent with a lieutenant headed for Vietnam, he never made it back.
Daniel Victor
You're not a dream
You're not an angel
You're a man
I'm not a quenn
I'm a woman
Take my hand
We'll make a space
In the lives that we planned
And here we'll stay
Until it's time for you to go
Yes, we're diff'rent worlds apart
We're not the same
We laughed and played
At the start like in a game
You could have stayed
Outside my heart
But in you came
And here you'll stay
Until it's time for you to go
Don't ask why,
Don't ask how
Don't ask forever,
Love me now
This love of mine
Had no beginning
It has no end
I was an oak,
Now I'm a willow
Now I can bend
And tho' I'll never
In my life see you again
I still stay
Until it's time for you to go
Daniel Victor
Wonderful song with Dame Vera Lynn