Danny Boy Made And Still Makes My Tears Well Up

Every single time I hear it ….

The song was written from the view of a Catholic father seeing his son go off to war in defense of their homeland, Ireland. The first time I heard Danny Boy, I was a young Marine going off to war in Korea. The words suddenly became the heart of my own father telling me   ….The bugle 'Call To Arms' was sounding across our land again, but this time it was not he who was going off into battle, but me, and he must stay. "So come back to me, safe, as soon as you can, and I'll be here whenever that may be. But if I'm dead before you return, as dead, I well may be, come to my grave and kneel and pray to our God …. and I will hear and my grave will warm and sweeter be. And you will bend and tell me that you love me and I will sleep in peace until you come to me. But if you die in this war, let not your last thoughts be of me, but of our nation …. that God would help set us free.

From that first hearing of Danny Boy, tears welled up in my eyes, for the love of my wonderful father, every time I heard the song again.  And then our own boys grew up and began to leave home. And then, suddenly, the words of Danny Boy were my words to which ever son was leaving ….  then to our girls. My tears then became for them. 

Danny Boy by Frederic Weatherly, an English Lawyer  

Ah Danny boy, the pipes,

The pipes are calling
From glen to glen,
And down the mountain side

The summer's gone,
And all the flowers are falling
'Tis you, 'tis you
Must go and I must bide

But come ye back
When summer's in the meadow
Or when the valley's hushed
And white with snow

And I'll be here
In sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy,
I love you so

But if you come,
And all the flowers are falling
And I am dead,
As dead I may well be

You'll come and find
The place where I am lying
And kneel and say
An "Ave" there for me

And I will hear,
Though soft your tread above me
And o'er my grave
Will warmer sweeter be

And you will bend
And tell me that you love me
And I will sleep
In peace until you come to me

But if I live
And should you die for Ireland
Let not your dying thoughts
Be just of me

But say a prayer to God
For our dearest Island
I know He'll hear
And help to set her free

Oh Danny Boy, Oh, Danny boy 
I love you so.
___________________

Here is the song, from long ago, as I heard it.

https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-att-att_001&hsimp=yhs-att_001&hspart=att&p=tenor+singing+danny+boy#id=2&vid=99db0ffcde91863e7208bc9545193f9b&action=click

My old hiking buddy, Fred Good, just sent me the story behind Danny Boy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj3mn8y5OHI&feature=youtu.be