Frederic Weatherly / Traditional air · Key of C · Public domain
Opens in the Chord Sheet Maker: transpose to your key, change chords, add strumming patterns, or print a clean copy. No account needed to start.
Danny Boy pairs one of the most beloved melodies ever collected with lyrics written surprisingly far from Ireland. The tune is the Londonderry Air, an Irish melody first published in 1855 after being collected in County Londonderry. The words came later: English lawyer and songwriter Frederic Weatherly wrote the Danny Boy lyric in 1910, and in 1913 revised it to fit the Londonderry Air after his sister-in-law in America sent him the melody. The match was so natural that the two have been inseparable ever since.
Nobody agrees on exactly who is singing to Danny, a parent, a lover, or someone left behind in wartime, and that ambiguity is much of the song's power. It has become an anthem of Irish identity worldwide, a fixture of St. Patrick's Day, and one of the most requested melodies at both weddings and funerals. Weatherly's 1913 publication places the words firmly in the public domain in the United States, along with the much older melody.
The melody covers a wide range, so pick your key before you commit (this chart is in C; transpose freely in the editor). The verse harmony moves slowly and rewards clean, full strums or piano-style arpeggios. Take the chorus with more lift, and give the final line room to breathe. Singers: the big note near the end is famous for a reason. Have your breath ready.
