Bilbo's Last Song is a poem by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was given by Tolkien as a gift to his secretary Joy Hill in 1966. After Tolkien's death in 1973 Hill showed the poem to Donald Swann, who liked the poem so much that he set it to music and included it in the second edition of The Road Goes Ever On in 1978. The poem was also illustrated by Pauline Baynes, and published as a poster in 1974. In 1990 the text was finally published in book form, reillustrated by Baynes. J. R. R. Tolkien in 1916. ... -1... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... Donald Swann (September 30, 1923 - March 23, 1994) was a British composer, musician and entertainer. ... The Road Goes Ever On is a walking song by J. R. R. Tolkien, fictionally written by Bilbo Baggins; verses of it are sung at various places in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. ... Events January January 1 - The Copyright Act of 1976 takes effect, making sweeping changes to United States copyright law. ... Pauline Baynes (born 1922) is an English book illustrator, whose work encompasses more than 100 books. ... 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The poem is sung by Bilbo Baggins at the Grey Havens, as he is about to leave Middle-earth forever. Chronologically this places it at the very end of The Return of the King, the last book of The Lord of the Rings, although it was written later than the books and never included in them. Bilbo Baggins is the central character of J. R. R. Tolkiens The Hobbit. ... The Mithlond or the Grey Havens was a haven (seaport) on the Gulf of Lune in the northwest of J. R. R. Tolkiens fictional world of Middle-earth. ... A map of the Northwestern part of Middle-earth at the end of the Third Age, courtesy of the Encyclopedia of Arda. ... The Return of the King is the third and final volume of J. R. R. Tolkiens The Lord of the Rings, following The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. ... Dust jacket of the 1968 UK edition The Lord of the Rings is an epic fantasy story by J. R. R. Tolkien, a sequel to his earlier work, The Hobbit. ...

The song is included in the BBC Radio 4 adaptation of The Lord of the Rings (1981), with music by Stephen Oliver. The first verse is chanted by John Le Mesurier as Bilbo, the second omitted, and the third sung by a boy soprano. BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of chiefly spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... In 1981 BBC Radio 4 broadcast a dramatisation of J. R. R. Tolkiens The Lord of the Rings in 26 half-hour stereo instalments. ... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... John Le Mesurier (April 5, 1912 – November 15, 1983), born John Elton Halliley, was a British actor. ... This article is about singers. ...

There is no reference to the song in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). The film's distributor, New Line Cinema, was probably not licensed to use the poem as necessitated by the applicable copyright laws. The movie's closing credits are accompanied by the original song "Into the West", sung by Annie Lennox, meant to have similar emotional resonance. Peter Jackson in Wellington (New Zealand) Peter Jackson CNZM (born October 31, 1961), is a film writer, director and producer born in Pukerua Bay, New Zealand to Bill and Joan Jackson. ... This article is about the 2003 live action film. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of Freshwater The European Disability Year Events January January 1 - Luíz Inácio Lula Da Silva becomes the 37th President of Brazil. ... New Line Cinema, founded in 1967, is one of the ten major Hollywood movie studios. ... The copyright symbol is used to give notice that a work is covered by copyright. ... Into the West is a song written by Howard Shore and Fran Walsh and sung by Annie Lennox during the closing credits of the movie The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. ... Annie Lennox (born December 25, 1954) is a singer from Aberdeen, Scotland. ...

External link

• Text of the poem (http://tolkien.cro.net/talesong/lastsong.html)