"Goodbye, Dolly Gray" is a
music hall song, with lyrics by American
Will D. Cobb and music by American
Paul Barnes,
first published in 1897 by the Morse Music Publishing Company (
Theodore F. Morse). The song was the publishers' first hit.
History
The song was popularised as a
Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...
anthem, but it was actually written during the earlier
Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = (cloc ...
.
[https://www.firstworldwar.com/audio/goodbyedollygray.htm]
Discography
A notable early recording on a 78 rpm record was made in 1901 by Canadian singer
Harry Macdonough. In the same year another popular version came out by the
Big Four Quartette with vocal group members
Arthur Collins,
Byron Harlan,
Joe Natus and
A.D. Madeira (Edison 7728). It featured in
Noël Coward's 1931 play ''
Cavalcade
A cavalcade is a procession or parade on horseback, or a mass trail ride by a company of riders. The focus of a cavalcade is participation rather than display. Often, the participants do not wear costumes or ride in formation. Often, a cava ...
'' and in the movies ''
Lawrence of Arabia
Thomas Edward Lawrence (16 August 1888 – 19 May 1935) was a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt (1916–1918) and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign (1915–191 ...
'' (1962), ''
Alfie
Alfie may refer to:
Theatre and film
* ''Alfie'' (play), a 1963 play by Bill Naughton
* ''Alfie'' (1966 film), a film based on the play starring Michael Caine
* ''Alfie'' (2004 film), a remake of the 1966 film
* ''Alfie'' (2013 film), an Indi ...
'' (1966) and ''
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' (1969). The tune (with different lyrics) is also used in the modern day as "
Good Old Collingwood Forever", the club song of the
Australian Football League's
Collingwood Football Club.
"Goodbye, Dolly Gray" was also recorded by
Bruce Lacey and the Alberts in the 1960s, and a modern recording by Stan LePard was featured on
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) is a digital video game download service available through the Xbox Games Store, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360. It focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent ...
game ''
Toy Soldiers
A toy soldier is a miniature figurine that represents a soldier. The term applies to depictions of uniformed military personnel from all eras, and includes knights, cowboys, American Indians, pirates, samurai, and other subjects that involve ...
'' as an opening menu theme.
Lyrics
:I have come to say goodbye, Dolly Gray,
:It's no use to ask me why, Dolly Gray,
:There's a murmur in the air, you can hear it everywhere,
:It's the time to do and dare, Dolly Gray.
:So if you hear the sound of feet, Dolly Gray,
:Sounding through the village street, Dolly Gray,
:It's the tramp of soldiers' true in their uniforms so blue,
:I must say goodbye to you, Dolly Gray.
:Goodbye Dolly I must leave you, though it breaks my heart to go,
:Something tells me I am needed at the front to fight the foe,
:See - the boys in blue are marching and I can no longer stay,
:Hark - I hear the bugle calling, goodbye Dolly Gray.
Notes and references
Notes
References
External links
Goodbye, Dolly Gray Tune & Lyrics
American songs
Music hall songs
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