In the Days, Before Rock & Roll…Van Morrison

Via the wonderful Vanderleun -

“Fats did not come in
Without those wireless knobs
Elvis did not come in
Without those wireless knobs”

Irish poet Paul Durcan, who co-wrote this song, provides the spoken vocals on this track. In 1988 Durcan wrote: “Myself, if I was Minister for Education, I’d bring in a new curriculum in the morning and top of my list would be Kavanagh and Morrison. All of Kavanagh and Morrison – not my selection or Saint Augustine’s selection or Barry McGuigan’s selection or Dean Martin’s selection but the entire oeuvre and let the audience (students are a free audience – not a concentration camp of suitable victims) pick out what they like and what they don’t like.”

“And then the killer came along
The killer, Jerry Lee Lewis
A whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on,
Great balls of fire”

You’ll understand “wireless knobs” at 1:06.

Van Morrison – These Are the Days

Phosphorescence from Vanderleun

Some say love is a burning thing
That it makes a fiery ring
Oh but I know love as a fading thing
Just as fickle as a feather in a stream
See, honey, I saw love. You see, it came to me
It put its face up to my face so I could see
Yeah then I saw love disfigure me
Into something I am not recognizing

See, the cage, it called. I said, “Come on in”
I will not open myself up this way again
Nor lay my face to the soil, nor my teeth to the sand
I will not lay like this for days now upon end
You will not see me fall, nor see me struggle to stand
To be acknowledge by some touch from his gnarled hands
You see, the cage, it called. I said, “Come on in”
I will not open myself up this way again

You see, the moon is bright in that treetop night
I see the shadows that we cast in the cold, clean light
My feet are gold. My heart is white
And we race out on the desert plains all night
See, honey, I am not some broken thing
I do not lay here in the dark waiting for thee
No my heart is gold. My feet are light
And I am racing out on the desert plains all night

So some say love is a burning thing
That it makes a fiery ring
Oh but I know love as a caging thing
Just a killer come to call from some awful dream
O and all you folks, you come to see
You just stand there in the glass looking at me
But my heart is wild. And my bones are steam
And I could kill you with my bare hands if I was free

Van Morrison sings…

Just like in the little book of Ruth, Elimelech took his family out of the Land, only to die in the far country. When will we ever learn…?

The sun was setting over avalon
The last time we stood in the west
Suffering long time angels enraptured by blake
Burn out the dross innocence captured again

Standing on the beach at sunset all the boats
All the boats keep moving slow
In the glory of the flashing light in the evenings glow

When will I ever learn to live in god?
When will I ever learn?
He gives me everything I need and more
When will I ever learn?

You brought it to my attention everything that was made in god
Down through centuries of great writings and paintings
Everything lives in god
Seen through architecture of great cathedrals
Down through the history of time
Is and was in the beginning and evermore shall be

When will I ever learn to live in god?
When will I ever learn?
He gives me everything I need and more
When will I ever learn?

Whatever it takes to fulfill his mission
That is the way we must go
But youve got to do it your own way
Tear down the old, bring up the new

And up on the hillside its quiet
Where the shepherd is tending his sheep
And over the mountains and the valleys
The countryside is so green
Standing on the highest hill with a sense of wonder
You can see everything is made in god
Head back down the roadside and give thanks for it all

When will I ever learn to live in god?
When will I ever learn?
He gives me everything I need and more
When will I ever learn?

Van Morrison reveals

From Vanderleun here

 

Joan Armatrading sings “Willow” in the studio…

Listen, of course, but watch her eyes.

 

Something Wonderful from Vanderleun

We’ve all been to Hyndford St.  It’s still there.

Originally from here.