The Bells of Rhymney

"The Bells of Rhymney"
Song by Pete Seeger from the album Pete Seeger and Sonny Terry
Released	July 1958
Recorded	December 27, 1957
Genre	Folk
Label	Folkways
Writer(s)	Pete Seeger, Idris Davies

"The Bells of Rhymney"
Song by the Byrds from the album Mr. Tambourine Man
Released	June 21, 1965
Recorded	April 14, 1965
Studio	Columbia, Hollywood, California
Genre	Folk rock
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	Pete Seeger, Idris Davies
Producer(s)	Terry Melcher

"The Bells of Rhymney" is a song first recorded by folk singer Pete Seeger, using words written by Welsh poet Idris Davies. The lyrics to the song were drawn from part of Davies' poetic work Gwalia Deserta, which was first published in 1938. The work was inspired by a local coal mining disaster and by the failure of the 1926 General Strike and the "Bells of Rhymney" stanzas follow the pattern of the nursery rhyme "Oranges and Lemons". In addition to Rhymney, the poem also refers to the bells of a number of other places in South Wales, including Merthyr, Rhondda, Blaina, Caerphilly, Neath, Brecon, Swansea, Newport, Cardiff, and the Wye Valley.

Two decades after Gwalia Deserta was published, Seeger used one part of the work as lyrics for his song "The Bells of Rhymney" after discovering them in a book by Dylan Thomas. The song was first released as part of a suite of songs, including "Sinking of the Ruben James" and "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly", on Seeger and Sonny Terry's 1958 live album, Pete Seeger and Sonny Terry. The song was also included on Seeger's 1967 compilation album, Pete Seeger's Greatest Hits. Seeger's recording included his whistling Coda, which was done live. Also, the word "IF" is repeated in the third verse.

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