"The Unicorn" is a song written by Shel Silverstein. It was originally released in 1962 on his album Inside Folk Songs (Atlantic 8072).

Background

The lyrics to the song also appear, printed as a poem, based on the biblical tale, Noah's Ark, in Shel Silverstein's book Where the Sidewalk Ends. In the original version of the song, the Irish Rovers speak half of the lyrics, as well as the part of the fourth chorus. The final line is spoken freely without music: "And that's why you'll never see a Unicorn to this very day".

Irish Rovers recording

"The Unicorn" was made very popular by the Irish Rovers in 1968. It remains one of the best-known songs in the Irish Rovers' long career. It sold 8 million copies worldwide and in their native Ireland, the song peaked at #5 on the Irish Singles Chart. In addition, the song was nominated for Best Folk Performance at the 1969 Grammy Awards. Elsewhere, "The Unicorn" peaked at #4 in Canada, and in the US, reached #2 on the US Adult Contemporary Chart, and #7 on the Hot 100.

Other cover versions

Silverstein's songbook, "Dirty Feet" (TRO/Hollis Music, 1969), includes a discography saying that, along with the Irish Rovers and Silverstein's versions, "The Unicorn" had been recorded by

Description

According to the song, the unicorn was not a fantasy, but a creature that literally missed the boat by not boarding Noah's Ark in time to be saved from the Great Flood described in the Bible. They are said to be the loveliest of all animals but also silly.