John O'Dreams

John O'Dreams is a song by English musician Bill Caddick 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's Pathetique Symphony.

Singers Gordon Bok, Éilís Kennedy, Christy Moore, Jean Redpath, Max Boyce, Garnet Rogers and The Clancy Brothers with Robbie O'Connell, Arcady with Niamh Parsons well as the late Mick Moloney 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