Henry's Songbook

When midnight comes good people homeward tread
Seek now your blanket and your feather bed
Home is the rover, his journey's over
Yield up your night time to bold John of Dreams

Across the hills the sun has gone astray
Tomorrow's cares are many dreams away
The stars are flying, your candle's dying
Yield up your darkness to bold John of Dreams

Both man and master in the night are one
All things are equal when the day is done
The prince and ploughman, the slave and freeman
All find their comfort in bold John of Dreams

Now as you sleep your dreams come winging clear
The hawks of morning cannot harm you here
Sleep is your river, flows on forever
And for your boatman choose old John of Dreams

(as sung by Finbar Furey)

[1984:] I learnt this many years ago while on the English folk club circuit. [...] It has become one of my standards and is popular in all parts of Ireland from Ballydehob to Ballymena. (Christy Moore Songbook 125)

[1986:] Learnt from the singing of Sean Cannon. Bill Caddick wrote the words to a theme from Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony, the 'Pathetique'. (Notes Dave Burns, 'Last Pit In the Rhondda')

[2000:] I don't really believe in songs that jump out of the air, though I must admit that Unicorns and John o' Dreams were like that and they have been very successful. ( Bill Caddick, http://www.freefolk.com/ May / Jun)