Best Popular Standard Song You've Never Heard - "In the Gloaming"

“Gloaming” is a Scottish word. It basically means “twilight.”

“In the Gloaming” is a classic song, a real popular standard. While not written for the theater, it is a song in the style of the great Broadway songs. Think of some of the tunes composed by Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hart and Rodgers and Hammerstein. Or, say, the great ballads that Frank Sinatra, Vic Damone or Nat King Cole sang.

Not surprisingly, “In the Gloaming” has been recorded over the years by many artists, including Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, Gordon MacRae, Jo Stafford, and John Charles Thomas.

However, some previous recordings leave out the second half of the song. This new recording, sung by Marc Berman, includes the complete song. Berman has also added new lyrics to the latter part of the song, in order to give it a more “contemporary” feel.

Interestingly, “In the Gloaming” was an all-female production. Women wrote both the words and the music. This was quite unusual for popular standards of the song’s era.

The original lyrics to the song come from a poem by the Scottish poet Meta Orred, who lived most of her life in England. Annie Fortescue Harrison, also British, wrote the music. In fact, “In the Gloaming” was her most popular “hit.”

The song tells the story of a broken love affair. The protagonist tells his love that he did not abandon her because of selfish reasons. Rather, his heart was “crushed with longing.” He says to her that he only “passed away” because it was “best for you.”

is he being sincere? You decide.

Here are the ORIGINAL lyrics to “in The Gloaming:”

In the gloaming, oh my darling
When the lights are soft and low
And the quiet shadows, falling,
Softly come and softly go.
When the winds are sobbing faintly
With a gentle unknown woe,
Will you think of me and love me,
As you did once, long ago?

In the gloaming, oh my darling
Think not bitterly of me.
Though I passed away in silence
Left you lonely, set you free.
For my heart was crushed with longing
What had been could never be.
It was best to leave you thus, dear,
Best for you, and best for me.

In the video, the second half lyrics are changed to:

In the gloaming, oh my darling
What I did, don’t misconstrue
Though I passed away in silence
Left you lonely... free… but blue.
For my heart was crushed with longing
What we felt was wrong, but true.
It was best to leave you so, dear,
Best for me, and best for you.

Like a great Broadway song, “In the Gloaming,” though Harrison wrote it in 1877, never really ages. Similarly, like a song from a hit musical, or a popular love song, it remains fresh, vibrant, poignant, and indestructible, even in the twenty-first century. And it will remain so, at least for as long as couples continue to fall in and out of love.

Copyright Note: As mentioned above, “In the Gloaming,” was composed by Annie Fortescue Harrison (December 30, 1848 –February 12, 1944) in 1877. Hutchins and Roemer published the song in London. As further noted, the original lyrics were written by Meta Orred (1845-1925). Thus, the song’s music and lyrics are in the public domain. The above-mentioned Hutchins and Roemer edition was the only musical arrangement utilized (with original modifications of the lyrics) in the video. All photographs, films and other graphical images appearing in the video are in the public domain, owned by this channel or lawfully used under a Creative Commons license/copyright waiver. Of course, this new video itself, including without limitation the audio contained in it, is under copyright.