Grandfather's Clock
USA Lyrics
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.
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.
History and Meaning
Written by Henry Clay Work in 1876, this song is widely credited with coining the term 'Grandfather clock' for what were previously known as longcase clocks. Work was inspired by his visit around 1875 to the George Hotel in Piercebridge, North Yorkshire, England, where he encountered a longcase clock crafted by clockmaker James Thompson. Local legend held that the clock, owned by two bachelor brothers named Jenkins, kept perfect time until the elder brother died, then began to lose time, and stopped permanently when the second brother passed away at age 90. Work adapted this eerie tale into a familial ballad told from a grandchild's perspective, describing a clock that faithfully keeps time for 90 years and stops forever the moment the grandfather dies. The song sold over one million copies of sheet music, and its enduring popularity ensured that "grandfather clock" replaced "longcase clock" in common usage by the late 1870s.