I have wonderful memories of my Dad playing this tune on his harmonica.

Once I learned to read, he sang me the words. I was simply in wonder how the clock had reflected the man’s life. I never felt morbidity in the lyrics – perhaps because I never knew my Grandfathers? Both had passed early. In this arrangement, I have omitted a verse – thinking it was too long for impatient kiddies of today. You can easily find it online if you wish.

The back-story to the song is fascinating. According to ‘theclockdepot.com’ the story goes like this; The song was written in 1876 by an American songwriter named Henry Work who happened to be visiting a quaint country lodge known as the George Hotel in Piercebridge, North Yorkshire, England. The George hotel was managed by two bachelor brothers named Jenkins also from England. In the lobby stood a floor clock, as they were called back in those days, that had been there for many years. One unusual characteristic of the old clock was that it kept very good time. This was uncommon, since in those days clocks were generally not noted for their accuracy.

One day, one of the brothers died and suddenly the old clock started losing time. At first it lost 15 minutes per day but when several clocksmiths gave up trying to repair the ailing timepiece, it was losing more than an hour each day. The clocks incurable problem became as talked about as its precision had been. Some said it was no surprise that, though fully wound, the old clock stopped when the surviving brother died at the age of ninety.

The new manager of the hotel never attempted to have it repaired. He just left it standing in a sunlit corner of the lobby, its hands resting in the position they assumed the moment the last Jenkins brother died. About 1875, Henry Work happened to be staying at the George Hotel during a trip to England. He was told the story of the old clock and after seeing the clock for himself, decided to compose a song about the fascinating coincidence that the clock stopped forever the moment its elder owner passed away. Henry went back to America and published the lyrics that sold over a million copies of sheet music about the clock grandfather clock song.

I hope this arrangement brings joy and a shared experience like the one I had with my father.