爺爺的古老大鐘

概要

位于约克郡与达勒姆郡的边缘，有一间名为名为佐治酒店的酒店，由Jenkins两兄弟拥有、打理的。在酒店的大堂中，放着一个摆钟。摆钟一直运作正常，但当其中一个兄弟离世后，摆钟开始运作不正常。尽管酒店的职员、钟表维修员尽力的修理它，它发生故障的频率越来越多。当另外的一个兄弟也离世后，那个摆钟也停止了运作。
据说，在1874年，作者Henry Clay Work在英国进行公演的时候，曾到那间酒店，当时酒店有一个很明显的位置一座坏掉的大钟引起他注意，并根据他所听闻的故事“My Grandfather's Clock”而作此曲，因而本曲的曲名是“爷爷的大钟”，而不是摆钟，两年后发表续篇“sequel to grandfather's clock”。
而在歌词内容中，提及到挂在墙上的大钟，由爷爷出世开始运作，直至他死去而停止运作。原本歌词中的爷爷的年龄是90岁，而在保富康午的日文歌词中，改为100岁。另外，原本歌词是4段的，而日文歌词改为3段。

在英国、美国的情况

许多于1950年代至1960年代长大的人民都知道这首曲。在英国，本曲是以儿童的最爱播放。而在美国，是播放“末段没有抒情”的版本。
在2004年，本曲由Boyz II Men录音，用来激发暮色区域“没有微睡的九十年”的灵感。

原文歌词

My grandfather's clock 

Was too large for the shelf,

So it stood ninety years on the floor;

It was taller by half

Than the old man himself,

Though it weighed not a pennyweight more.

It was bought on the morn

Of the day that he was born,

And was always his treasure and pride;

But it stopped short

Never to go again,

When the old man died.
CHORUS:

Ninety years without slumbering,

Tick, tock, tick, tock,

His life seconds numbering,

Tick, tock, tick, tock,

It stopped short

Never to go again,

When the old man died.
In watching its pendulum

Swing to and fro,

Many hours had he spent while a boy;

And in childhood and manhood

The clock seemed to know,

And to share both his grief and his joy.

For it struck twenty-four

When he entered at the door,

With a blooming and beautiful bride;

But it stopped short

Never to go again,

When the old man died.

CHORUS
My grandfather said

That of those he could hire,

Not a servant so faithful he found;

For it wasted no time,

And had but one desire,

At the close of each week to be wound.

And it kept in its place,

Not a frown upon its face,

And its hand never hung by its side.

But it stopped short

Never to go again,

When the old man died.

CHORUS
It rang an alarm

In the dead of the night,

An alarm that for years had been dumb;

And we knew that his spirit

Was pluming for flight,

That his hour of departure had come.

Still the clock kept the time,

With a soft and muffled chime,

As we silently stood by his side. 

But it stopped short

Never to go again,

When the old man died.

CHORUS