The Lord of the Rings is a franchise notorious for the depth of lore and the long, detailed history of the world of Arda. Few readers or movie fans know all of it, but Tolkien had a unique way of explaining the history, legend, and famous people in his books by using poems and songs, and some of these lyrics even made it into the film adaptations.
The songs from the books are sometimes recited in their complete form, but they're often snippets of much longer stories and ballads set to music. Not all extoll the deeds of legendary figures now lost to the mists of time. Some are work or travel songs, composed by common folk for the toil or trouble of daily life.
7 Far Over The Misty Mountains Cold
One of the best moments from The Hobbit is the scene near the beginning when the Dwarves break into song after cleaning out Bilbo's pantry. This isn't the only song the Dwarves sing but it's one of the most memorable, and it tells the sad history of their homeland and the last days of the King Under the Mountain.
In the book, the verses rouse the Took side of Bilbo, inspiring the adventurer in him. It's because of the power of this song that the usually homey Bilbo takes to the road as the lucky number, making the company 14, or 15 if the Wizard is included.
6 Song of Beren and Lúthien
Aragorn is quietly singing a snippet of this song in The Fellowship of the Ring during a fireside rest. He's using the original Elvish verses, and Frodo is the one who wakes up and asks about the woman he's singing about, and Aragorn replies with a brief description of the Lay of Lúthien.
The whole poem is much longer and takes up several chapters, which makes up a whole other book of its own, Beren and Lúthien. The love story of Arwen and Aragorn is intended to be an echo of the saga of two dedicated lovers who accomplished a task that whole armies could not, they recovered a precious Silmaril.
5 Song of Eärendil
The Silamril that was recovered by Beren and Lúthien was passed on to their children, eventually coming to their granddaughter, Elwing. She was married to Eärendil, who was also called the Mariner, and the song begins with a description of his ship and seafaring adventures. The song was written by Bilbo and Aragorn and appears in The Fellowship of the Ring during the hobbits' stay in Rivendell.
Eärendil and Elwing were not of the House of Fëanor, however, and the sons of the original owner had sworn to reclaim the jewels at any cost. They attacked their fellow elves, some of them family members, in an attempt to get this Silmaril back. The song is about Elwing and Eärendil's escape across the sea to Valinor, using the jewel as a guide, in an attempt to enlist the help of the Valar against the Oath of Fëanor.
4 Chip The Glasses, Crack The Plates
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The Dwarves' songs turn to more somber matters later in the night, but when they first arrive in the Shire and descend upon Bilbo's house, he's visibly upset, and they sing this song to tease him. The lyrics continue with sarcastic glee, "That's what Bilbo Baggins hates, so very carefully with the plates."
The song goes on to describe other nightmarish scenarios, like bent forks and burned corks, testing the mettle of even the most tolerant and generous host. The Dwarves are laughing with Bilbo, however, not at him, and the viewers and readers do the same.
3 Fifteen Birds In Five Fir Trees
This song appears in a text in The Hobbit, and there's a rousing version of it that many older fans will recognize from the 1977 cartoon adaptation. The 15 birds, in this case, are the Dwarves, the Hobbit, and Gandalf, and it was lucky the Wizard was traveling with the company at this time.
It's a fun bad guy song, with the orcs joyously howling about their plans for their quarry, which mostly involve different cooking methods. Roast them, stew, fry them, boil them, and eat them hot, are just a few examples of the refined lyrics composed by one of Middle-earth's more artistic races.
2 The Walking Song
There's actually a genre of music called a walking song, intended to ease the burden of a long journey on foot. This is the one that Tolkien created for Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin as they traveled through and from the Shire. They sing it as they travel through Woody End in the first part of The Fellowship of the Ring.
Another composition from the talented Bilbo, who always writes about what he knows, he created the unique lyrics but describes the music as "old as the hills" so perhaps based on an older walking song based on Took lore.
1 The Road Goes Ever On And On
The most famous song from The Lord of the Rings franchise is also one of the most ringing and inspirational, crossing over from the movies and books, and getting different versions and covers in a variety of mediums. It appears in both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and is symbolic of one of the overarching themes of the books.
Bilbo Baggins is the writer of this famous verse, and he's the first one to recite it when he comes within sight of home at the end of The Hobbit. He sings a slightly different version when he sets off to Rivendell after the dramatic ending of his birthday party in Fellowship, and then for the last time before nodding off in Rivendell.