Sonny's dream

SONNY'S DREAM

Time signature: 4/4
Tempo: ~160 bpm (center of a wide range)

Ron Hynes

Accordion Notation

Beats per bar = 4
Beat symbol = Dot ( . ) or equivalent

Either row: Buttons 3 - 7

Verse 1 (of 4)

:r .5 .5 | :5 .4 "3* "4~ | ~. .r .5 .5* | :5 .3 "3* "4~ | ~. .r
Son-ny lives on a farm on a wide o - pen space, /

"5 "5 .6 | .7 :7 .7* | :6 .5 .5 | :5* .6 .6 | :5
Where you can take off your sneak-ers and give up the race; /

"6 ;6 | :7* .6* .5* | :6* .7* .7 | :7* .5 .5* | ;6*
You can lay down your head by a sweet riv - er bed, /

"6* .6* .7* | :6 .6 .5* | .4* :4*
But Son-ny al - ways re - mem-bers
"3 "3 | .4* .4* .5 .5* | :5 .4* .4 | :3* :r~ | ~;
what it was his ma-ma said: (when she said) /
Chorus:

"5 .5 .5* | :5 .3 .3* | :4 .5 .5* | :5 .3 .3* | :4
Oh, Son-ny, don't go a - way, I am here all a - lone,   /

.5 .6 | :7 .7 .7* | :6 .5 .5 | :5* .6 .6 | .5 .r
And your dad - dy's a sail - or who nev - er comes home. /

.6 .7* | :7* .5 .5* | :5 .r "7* "7* | :7* .5 .5* | :6*
And these nights get so long and the si - lence goes on, /

.7 .7* | :6 .6 .5* | .4* :3 .4* | :4* .5 .5* | :5 .4* .4 | :3* :r |
And I'm feel - in' so tired, I'm not all that strong.   /

Replacement fourth line of final verse:

"6* .6* .7* | :6 .6 .5* | .4* :4*
And I know I can't hold him
"3 "3 | .4* .4* .5 .5* | :5 .4* .4 | :3* :r~ | ~;
though I've tried and I've tried and I've tried

Song finishes with the final chorus, as shown above, slowing towards end of final line.

However, some folks truncate & slow final chorus line, changing final :5 note to ::5, ending there.

Still other performers insert an additional line in the final chorus, slowing to end:

;r "5 .5 .5* | :5 .3 .3* | :4 :r |
Oh, Son - ny, don't go a - way

Embedded youTube VIDEOS

Key: C - Verses 1, 2 & chorus to video 1:45
D - Remainder of song.

Tempo: ~175 bpm

Group: Wonderful Grand Band

Singer: Ron Hynes

Posted by: NewfoundlandMusicMan

Key: A

Tempo: ~170 bpm

Group: Slainte in Newfoundland

Posted by: dougslainte

Key: G

Tempo: ~155 bpm

Singer: Allison Crowe

Posted by: Allison Crowe

Key: C

Tempo ~ 180 bpm

Hensall Circle, Mississauga -
St Paddy's day dance March 16th 2013 - a great Newfoundland sound.

Posted by: Wilf Doyle

Key: Bb - Verses 1, 2 & Chorus
C - Verses 3, 4 & Chorus Changeover at 2:47 point.

Tempo ~ 160 bpm.

Singer: John McDermott

Posted by: LadyGreyCarolyn

Key: C until video 2:38
D for remainder.

Tempo: ~150 bpm

Ron Hynes Benefit Show at Delta Hotel, St. John's; September 30, 2012.
Click on youTube icon at right for larger view of on-stage performers.

Singing begins at video 0:38

Posted by: BetweenTheRock

Key: A

Tempo ~ 154 bpm

Singer: Valdy (Paul Valdemar
Horsdal)

Posted by: snowflake5555

First part of video is missing; it begins here with 2nd verse.

Key: A

Tempo ~ 145 bpm

Singer: Liam Clancy

Posted by: Vito Likavec

Key: Bb for most of song.
? Not sure about final repeat of chorus.

Tempo: ~155 bpm

Singer: Ron Hynes

Posted by: Badger Drive

Key:

Group: McGinty

Posted by: MyMoppet52

HEADS-UP: Some of the verse lyrics & music notation for the following two videos were modified (by Hamish Imlach, I think) from the Ron Hynes original. These videos do not completely match the notation given above. The modified lyrics are given near the bottom of this page.

Key: G

Tempo: ~140 bpm

Singer: Christy Moore

Posted by: darrin42

Key: G

Tempo: ~145 bpm

Singer:

Posted by: threelegsoman

BACKGROUND MATERIALS, INFORMATION & LINKS

Lyrics
(by Ron Hynes):

Verse 1:

Chorus:

Verse 2:

Verse 3:

Verse 4:

Hamish Imlach's adaptation:

Chorus:

Verse 1:

Verse 2:

Verse 3:

The following lyrics may be found in the 2005 Vinland Music publication, Songs of RON HYNES, Volume 1 ... a Newfoundland and Labrador music treasure, to be sure. It can be purchased online from the Vinland Music Web site. This book contains twenty-nine of Ron's best known compositions, and a 2004 commentary (and tribute to Ron) by Kathleen Winter.

Sonny lives on a farm on a wide open space,
Where you can take off your sneakers and give up the race;
You can lay down your head by a sweet river bed,
But Sonny always remembers what it was his mama said:

Oh, Sonny, don't go away, I am here all alone,
And your daddy's a sailor who never comes home.
All these nights get so long and the silence goes on,
And I'm feelin' so tired, I'm not all that strong.

Sonny carries a load, though he's barely a man.
There ain't all that to do, still he does what he can,
And he watches the sea from a room by the stair;
The waves keep on rollin', they've done that for years.

It's a hundred miles to town, Sonny's never been there.
And he goes to the highway and stands there and stares.
And the mail comes at four, and the mailman is old;
Oh, but he still dreams his dreams full of silver and gold

Sonny's dreams can't be real, they're just stories he's read,
They're just stars in his eyes, they're just dreams in his head.
And he's hungry inside for the wild world outside,
And I know I can't hold him, though I've tried
And I've tried, and I've tried.

The following is a tighter version, and is good - Listen to Christy Moore's youTube video above. However, I prefer Ron's original lyrics, and Ron's youTube videos, as given above.

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

Sonny lives on a farm, in a wide open space.
Take off your shoes, stay out of the race;
Lay down your head, on a soft river bed.
Sonny always remembers the words Mamma says:

Sonny works the land, though he's barely a man.
There's not much to do but he does what he can;
He sits by the window in his room on the stairs,
Watching the waves drifting soft on the pier.

Many years have passed on, Sonny's old and alone.
His Daddy, the sailor, never came home.
Sometimes he wonders what his life might have been;
But from the grave Mamma still haunts his dreams.

Background Links:

Click HERE for additional info about this song.

Click HERE for biographical info on Ron Hynes.

Click HERE for copy of Shane O'Dea's "oration" at Memorial University's May 2002 convocation, awarding an honorary doctorate to "that man of a thousand songs and this one place, Ronald Hynes".

Click HERE for copy of the address to the May 2012 Convocation by Dr. Ron Hynes.