Gary Moore (1952-2011)
O when I hear that wind blow
All across the Wicklow Mountain
Is it you that I hear calling
Johnny Boy O Johnny Boy
And when I look to the West
Far across the River Shannon
Is it you that I see smiling
Johnny Boy O Johnny Boy
When the leaves they turn to brown
And wintertime is coming
As I watch the sun go down
I’ll be thinking of you
So when I hear that wind blow
All across the Wicklow Mountain
I’ll know it’s you that I hear calling
Johnny Boy O Johnny Boy
When the leaves they turn to brown
And wintertime is coming
As I watch the sun go down
I’ll be thinking of you
So when I look to the West
Far across the River Shannon
I’ll know it’s you that I see smiling
Johnny Boy O Johnny Boy
I met Gary Moore briefly when he came to a Planxty gig in Cecil Sharpe House, London in 1972. We met again at Jimmy Faulkner’s Memorial Concert in the Olympia Dublin in 2008. We did not know each other, but I have long since loved his soulful music. A true Master of his instrument, his playing is simply beautiful; his memory lives on. I spent a long night last year listening to Gary Moore’s legacy. Late that night this song appeared, a simple, soothing, soulful ballad. It evokes different emotions, recalls different events in my own life. Johnny Boy creates a space that any listener can inhabit