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Lyrics

In the Sunny Long Ago

3.
Sonny's Dream


Another song from Newfoundland, but this time from the pen of one 'our crowd' that used to hang out, put the world to right and sing the night away. The ink would be scarcely dry when Ron Hynes would come up with new songs, and we'd all join the chorus. Ron is now known internationally for his gifted compositions - this is probably his best known, though no doubt my version has been weathered by many years and Atlantic crossings.

 

Sonny lives on a farm in a wide, open space;
Take off your shoes, just get out of the race,
Lay down your head by a soft river-bed
Sonny always remembers the words Mama said:

Sonny, don't go away, I'm here all alone
Your Daddy's a sailor and never comes home,
The nights are so long, the silence goes on,
I'm feeling so tired, I'm not all that strong.

Sonny carries his load though he's barely a man,
There's not much to do but he does what he can.
He watches the sea from his room near the stairs,
The sea keeps on rolling - it's done that for years.

Many years have gone past, Sonny's old and alone,
His daddy, the sailor, just never came home.
But sometimes he wonders what life might have been
But still from her grave Mama's voice haunts his dream.

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