I was with my friend's family a few days ago. Portuguese Brazilian immigrants.
His little nephew asked for a song. Nobody stepped up.
I said "I have a sad song. It might make you cry".
Danny Boy, of course. (I'm Irish American). I told them it was about parting, and longing. Lovers parting? A parent seeing his son off to war? Or perhaps leaving the old world for the new. Never to see the dear ones again.
Every Irish lad can do a "Danny Boy" to make the ladies weep. And I did mine. Of course, I sang it to my friend, Paulo boy.
His mother cried. Of course she did.