B-side "The Only Rose" Format 7" single Label RCA Victor | Released 1949 Genre Country Writer(s) Cy Coben, Mel Foree | |
"Nobody's Child" is a song written by Cy Coben and Mel Foree. It was first recorded by Hank Snow in 1949 and it became one of his standards, although it did not chart for him. The song has been covered a number of times in the UK; it was on Lonnie Donegan's first album in 1956 (which went to #2 as an album in the UK), it was covered by Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers (The Beatles) in 1961 in Hamburg, and in 1969 Karen Young took the song to #6 on the UK charts and used it as the title track on her album. In 1969 Hank Williams Jr. did a version of it that made it to #46 on the US Country charts. The Traveling Wilburys' 1990 version made it to #44 on the UK charts.
Contents
The song lyrics are about an orphan whom no one wants to adopt because he is blind:
I'm nobody's child, I'm nobody's child
Just like a flower I'm growing wild
No mommy's kisses and no daddy's smile
Nobody wants me, I'm nobody's child
Singles
Albums
Personnel
Traveling Wilburys
The Traveling Wilburys version of "Nobody's Child" was the first track on the benefit album Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal, released on 24 July 1990. Wilbury member George Harrison had also appeared on the 1961 Beatles/Tony Sheridan version. Other members of the Traveling Wilburys on this track were Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, and Tom Petty.