John O'Dreams is a song by English musician

Bill Caddick Lewis Frederick William Caddick (27 June 1944 – 19 November 2018) was an English folk music, folk singer-songwriter and guitarist, particularly noted for his songwriting and as a member of the innovative and influential group Home Service. ...

who featured it on his album, Rough Music, in 1976. Its melody bears an exceptionally strong resemblance to the second theme of the first movement of

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...

's Pathetique Symphony. Singers

Gordon Bok Gordon Bok (born October 31, 1939) is an American folklorist and singer-songwriter, who grew up in Camden, Maine and is associated with music from New England. Career Bok's first album, self-titled, was produced by Noel Paul Stookey (Paul of ...

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Christy Moore Christopher Andrew "Christy" Moore (born 7 May 1945) is an Irish folk singer, songwriter and guitarist. He was one of the founding members of the bands Planxty and Moving Hearts and has had significant success as a solo artist. His first albu ...

Jean Redpath Jean Redpath MBE (28 April 1937 – 21 August 2014) was a Scottish folk singer. Career Jean Redpath was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, to musical parents. Her mother knew many Scots songs and passed them on to Jean and her brother, and her fath ...

Max Boyce Maxwell Boyce, (born 27 September 1943) is a Welsh comedian, singer and entertainer from Glynneath, Wales. He rose to fame in the mid-1970s with an act that combined musical comedy with his passion for rugby union and his origins in a South Wal ...

Garnet Rogers Garnet Rogers (born May 1955) is a Canadian folk musician, singer, songwriter and composer. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario with Maritime roots. Early life Rogers was born in Hamilton, Ontario to Nathan Allison Rogers and Valerie (née Bushell) ...

and

The Clancy Brothers The Clancy Brothers were an influential Irish folk music group that developed initially as a part of the American folk music revival. Most popular during the 1960s, they were famed for their Aran jumpers and are widely credited with popularisi ...

with

Robbie O'Connell Robbie O'Connell (born 28 December 1950"Ireland Civil Registration Indexes, 1845-1958," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F16S-H89 : 17 March 2020), BIRTHS entry for Robert M O'Connell; citing Waterford, Jan - Mar ...

, Arcady with

Niamh Parsons Niamh Parsons (born in Dublin, Ireland) is a singer of contemporary and traditional Irish music. Career Niamh Parsons started her professional career in 1990, in Belfast. Having been singing at sessions around Dublin, Niamh first joined the band ...

well as the late

Mick Moloney Michael Moloney (15 November 1944 – 27 July 2022) was an Irish-born American musician and scholar. He was the artistic director of several major arts tours and co-founded Green Fields of America. Early life Moloney was born in Limerick, Ir ...

have recorded versions of the song.

Lyrics

:When midnight comes and people homeward tread 'Alternate'': When midnight comes good people homeward tread:Seek now your blanket and your feather bed :Home comes the rover, his journey's over 'Alternate'': Home is the rover, his journey over:Yield up the night time to old John O' Dreams :Yield up the night time to old John O' Dreams :Across the hill, the sun has gone astray :Tomorrow's cares are many dreams away :The stars are flying, your candle is dying 'Alternate'': The stars are flying, the wind is sighing:Yield up the darkness to old John O' Dreams :Yield up the darkness to old John O' Dreams :Both man and master in the night are one :All things are equal when the day is done :The prince and the ploughman, the slave and the freeman :All find their comfort with old John O' Dreams :All find their comfort with old John O' Dreams :When sleep it comes the dreams come running clear 'Alternate'': Now as you sleep the dreams come winging clear:The hawks of morning cannot reach you here 'Alternate'': The hawks of morning cannot harm you here:Sleep is a river, flows on forever 'Alternate'': Sleep is your river, float on forever:And for your boatman choose old John O' Dreams :And for your boatman choose old John O' Dreams :When midnight comes and people homeward tread 'Alternate'': When midnight comes good people homeward tread:Seek now your blanket and your feather bed :Home comes the rover, his journey's over 'Alternate'': Home is the rover, his journey's over:Yield up the night time to old John O' Dreams :Yield up the night time to old John O' Dreams

References

Year of song missing English folk songs {{Folk-song-stub