The great Irish singer, died of lung cancer yesterday at the age of 74, in Dover, NH, his home for many years. A sad loss for music. May he rest in peace.
Of all the money e'er I had,
I spent it in good company.
And all the harm I've ever done,
Alas! it was to none but me.
And all I've done for want of wit
To mem'ry now I can't recall
So fill to me the parting glass
Good night and joy be with you all
Oh, all the comrades e'er I had,
They're sorry for my going away,
And all the sweethearts e'er I had,
They'd wish me one more day to stay,
But since it falls unto my lot,
That I should rise and you should not,
I gently rise and softly call,
That I should go and you should not,
Good night and joy be with you all.
Tommy Makem dead
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WampusCat
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It is indeed a sad loss.
I grew up listening to Tommy Makem's music, and it still lifts my spirits. And "The Parting Glass" is a fine, fine way to bid him farewell.
All day today, in my mind I have heard his tinwhistle play merry or melancholy tunes.
His song "The Ship's Coming In":
Soft as the morning comes creeping to greet the new day
Fierce as an army advancing in battle array
Loud as a trumpet that shatters the earth and the sky
Quiet as a tear that appears in a true lover's eye
For every true man who will stand with his face to the wind
The ship's coming in
Black as a ribbon for mourning the death of a man
White as the snow that comes falling to cover the land
Silent and swift or as slow as the pace of a snail
Long as the time on the bars when a man is in jail
For every true man who will stand with his face to the wind
The ship's coming in
Love is the joy and the sorrow of lover and friend
Dawn is the coming of day when the night has to end
Truth is the leavening out of the wrongs and the rights
Hope is a glimmer of light in the darkest of nights
For every true man who will stand with his face to the wind
The ship's coming in
And from his song "Winds of Morning":
I've walked the hills when rain was falling
Rested by a wide oak tree
Heard a lark sing high at evening
Caught a moonbeam on the sea
Softly blow ye winds of morning
Sing ye winds your mournful sound
Blow ye from the earth's four corners
Guide this traveller where he's bound
May his travels be joyful.
I grew up listening to Tommy Makem's music, and it still lifts my spirits. And "The Parting Glass" is a fine, fine way to bid him farewell.
All day today, in my mind I have heard his tinwhistle play merry or melancholy tunes.
His song "The Ship's Coming In":
Soft as the morning comes creeping to greet the new day
Fierce as an army advancing in battle array
Loud as a trumpet that shatters the earth and the sky
Quiet as a tear that appears in a true lover's eye
For every true man who will stand with his face to the wind
The ship's coming in
Black as a ribbon for mourning the death of a man
White as the snow that comes falling to cover the land
Silent and swift or as slow as the pace of a snail
Long as the time on the bars when a man is in jail
For every true man who will stand with his face to the wind
The ship's coming in
Love is the joy and the sorrow of lover and friend
Dawn is the coming of day when the night has to end
Truth is the leavening out of the wrongs and the rights
Hope is a glimmer of light in the darkest of nights
For every true man who will stand with his face to the wind
The ship's coming in
And from his song "Winds of Morning":
I've walked the hills when rain was falling
Rested by a wide oak tree
Heard a lark sing high at evening
Caught a moonbeam on the sea
Softly blow ye winds of morning
Sing ye winds your mournful sound
Blow ye from the earth's four corners
Guide this traveller where he's bound
May his travels be joyful.
Take my hand, my friend. We are here to walk one another home.
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