Many of the songs featured in the Lord of the Rings movies are very strongly based on parts of the books. Three examples of this can be found in the Fellowship of the Ring book alone.
Merry and Pippin’s song in the Extended Edition of Fellowship of the Ring (DVD Chapter: At the Green Dragon) is taken from two separate songs featured in the Fellowship of the Ring book and slightly edited.
Movie Version
Hey, ho, to the bottle I go
To heal my heart and drown my woe.
Rain may fall and wind may blow,
but there still be… many miles to go.
Sweet is the sound of the pouring rain,
and the stream that falls from hill to plain.
Better than rain or a rippling brook…
Is a mug of beer inside this Took!
Book Version
Page 119
Ho! Ho! Ho! To the bottle I go
To heal my heart and drown my woe.
Rain may fall and wind may blow,
And many miles be still to go,
But under a tall tree I will lie,
And let the clouds go sailing by.
Page 133
O! Sweet is the sound of falling rain,
And the brook that leaps from hill to plain;
But better than rain or rippling streams
Is Water Hot that smokes and steams.
The first three lines of the song from the movie and the song from page 119 are identical, save the “Hey, Ho,” instead of the original “Ho! Ho! Ho!” at the beginning.
The fourth line is similar, having only been worded slightly differently.
The song from page 133, chosen to conclude the drinking song, was none other than the bath song. The song was changed accordingly to fit, yet still kept the main ideas of the original.
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The song best known as Pippin’s Song is another example. This song is sung by Pippin in Gondor in the Return of the King movie, however, in the Fellowship of the Ring book, a much longer version is sung by the hobbits while they are walking (chapter: Three is Company).
Movie Version
Home is behind, the world ahead,
And there are many paths to tread.
Through shadow, to the edge of night,
Until the stars are all alight.
Mist and shadow, cloud and shade,
All shall fade! All shall fade…
Book Version (last paragraph only)
Page 103
Home is behind, the world ahead,
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadows to the edge of night,
Until the stars are all alight.
Then world behind and home ahead,
We’ll wander back to home and bed.
Mist and twilight, cloud and shade,
Away shall fade! Away shall fade!
Fire and lamp, and meat and bread,
And then to bed! And then to bed!
Although the book version of this song is much longer than the movie version, the first four lines are exactly the same. The last two lines have been taken from parts of the last six lines of the song in the book, although the words have been changed and moved around.
There is also another noticeable difference in the two songs; in the version on page 103 of Fellowship of the Ring the song ends on a happier note than that featured in the Return of the King movie.
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My final example isn’t taken from a song, but a description at the beginning of chapter eight: Fog on the Barrow-Downs.
Page 178
But either in his dreams or out of them, he could not tell which, Frodo heard a sweet singing running in his mind: a song that seemed to come like a pale light behind a grey rain-curtain, and growing stronger to turn the veil all to glass and silver, until at last it was rolled back, and a far green country was opened before him under a swift sunrise.
When comparing this paragraph to one of the songs in The Return of the King, Into the West, there is a discrete, but definitely present similarity.
Into the West (only three paragraphs)
Across the sea
A pale moon rises
The ships have come
To carry you home
And all will turn to silver glass
A light on the water
All souls pass
Hope fades
Into the world of night
Through shadows falling
Out of memory and time
Although the examples are taken from completely different parts in the story, the same feeling and image is portrayed and somehow fits both situations perfectly.
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These aren’t the only songs throughout the movie trilogy that have been strongly influenced by sections of the books, but they are good examples. If you keep an eye out you will undoubtedly notice more and more of these relationships.
by Nazgul7
