"Goodbye, Dolly Gray" is a

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...

song, with lyrics by American

Will D. Cobb William Denight Cobb (July 5, 1876 – January 20, 1930) was an American lyricist and composer. He and a partner, Ren Shields, produced several popular musical theater, musicals and musical comedies in the early 20th century. Cobb also had a lon ...

and music by American Paul Barnes, first published in 1897 by the Morse Music Publishing Company (

Theodore F. Morse Theodore F. Morse (April 13, 1873 – May 25, 1924) was an American composer of popular songs. Biography Born in Washington, D.C., Morse was educated at the Maryland Military & Naval Academy. He went on to study both violin and piano. He and ...

). 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 An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...

, 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 = (clock ...

.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 John Scantlebury Macdonald (May 30, 1871 – September 26, 1931) was a Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most ...

. 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 Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

'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 (1915–1918 ...

'' (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 ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' is a 1969 American Western buddy film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman. Based loosely on fact, the film tells the story of Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, known as Butch C ...

'' (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 The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...

Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed the Magpies or colloquially the Pies, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The club w ...

. "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 c ...

'' 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.

History

Discography

Lyrics

Notes and references

Notes

References

External links