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Tim Rossiter Lyr Add: When Irish Eyes Are Smiling (11) Lyr Add: WHEN IRISH EYES ARE SMILING (Olcott...) 21 Apr 97


You seem to have lost some threads from last week. Hope everything is OK. There was a request last week for the lyrics of Irish Eyes are Smiling. The posting also ask if this song and Too-rah Loo-rah Loo-rah were sung to the same tune. Irish Eyes was written by Ball/Olcott/Graff while Too-rah was written by Shannon, but there is a connection. Both these songs where written for Chauncy Olcott plays in 1913, Irish Eyes in The Isle o' Dreams and Too-rah in Shameen Dhu. Olcott recorded these that same year for Columbia. Chauncy Olcott is essentially the father of Irish American Ballads, popularizing songs which would later be sung by Dennis Day and Bing Crosby. These ballads have lost favor lately mainly due to their sentimental content and US origin. Hopefully this will change. Anyway, here are the lyrics.

From the sheet music at Mississippi State University:


WHEN IRISH EYES ARE SMILING
Words by Chauncy Olcott and Geo. Graff, Jr.; music by Ernest R. Ball.
Copyright 1912, M. Witmark & Sons, New York

1. There's a tear in your eye,
And I'm wondering why,
For it never should be there at all.
With such pow'r in your smile,
Sure a stone you'd beguile,
So there's never a teardrop should fall.
When your sweet lilting laughter's
Like some fairy song,
And your eyes twinkle bright as can be;
You should laugh all the while
And all other times smile,
And now, smile a smile for me.

CHORUS: When Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, it's like a morn in Spring.
In the lilt of Irish laughter
You can hear the angels sing.
When Irish hearts are happy,
All the world seems bright and gay.
And when Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, they steal your heart away.

2. For your smile is a part
Of the love in your heart,
And it makes even sunshine more bright.
Like the linnet's sweet song,
Crooning all the day long,
Comes your laughter so tender and light.
For the springtime of life
Is the sweetest of all,
There is ne'er a real care or regret;
And while springtime is ours,
Throughout all of youth's hours,
Let us smile each chance we get. CHORUS


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