I went to a Van Morrison concert tonight at the Hollywood Bowl. The stars were out, the California flag was blowing and it was just cool enough for a sweater and a wrap. I had really good seats, smack in the center of the Bowl and when I closed my eyes I felt like I was nineteen, again, listening to Van while lying on a couch in an old apartment in Druid Hills, waiting for the boy I loved. Van sounds almost exactly the same as he did so many years ago and his wail reaches so deep that I am cast back there and then here.
If I ventured in the slipstream
Between the viaducts of your dream
Where immobile steel rims crack
And the ditch in the back roads stop
Could you find me?
Would you kiss-a my eyes?
To lay me down
In silence easy
To be born again
To be born again
From the far side of the ocean
If I put the wheels in motion
And I stand with my arms behind me
And Im pushin on the door
Could you find me?
Would you kiss-a my eyes?
To lay me down
In silence easy
To be born again
To be born again
There you go
Standin with the look of avarice
Talkin to huddie ledbetter
Showin pictures on the wall
Whisperin in the hall
And pointin a finger at me
There you go, there you go
Standin in the sun darlin
With your arms behind you
And your eyes before
There you go
Takin good care of your boy
Seein that hes got clean clothes
Puttin on his little red shoes
I see you know hes got clean clothes
A-puttin on his little red shoes
A-pointin a finger at me
And here I am
Standing in your sad arrest
Trying to do my very best
Lookin straight at you
Comin through, darlin
Yeah, yeah, yeah
If I ventured in the slipstream
Between the viaducts of your dreams
Where immobile steel rims crack
And the ditch in the back roads stop
Could you find me
Would you kiss-a my eyes
Lay me down
In silence easy
To be born again
To be born again
To be born again
In another world
In another world
In another time
Got a home on high
Aint nothing but a stranger in this world
Im nothing but a stranger in this world
I got a home on high
In another land
So far away
So far away
Way up in the heaven
Way up in the heaven
Way up in the heaven
Way up in the heaven
In another time
In another place
In another time
In another place
Way up in the heaven
Way up in the heaven
We are goin up to heaven
We are goin to heaven
In another time
In another place
In another time
In another place
In another face
The Malaysian singer Pete Teo gives an homage to Morrison in his song, "Jesselton tonight:"
ReplyDeleteThe boys are playing down The Riverside. Flat broke and crazy, but it didn’t seem to matter, cos we had the night. Yeah, we had the night. Doing Sweet Thing in 4/4 time. You said it didn’t work, “but I’m oh so glad to be alive”. To be alive.
Hosannas under a blood red sky. We danced a tune to Van’s surrender. Bless the man, he’s singing and howling sweetly to the moon! And then you took me by the hand again and said, “I love you so. Would you fall in love in Jesselton tonight?”
We headed down to The Zanzibar. Make a left somewhere between your dreams and the shooting stars; that’s where you are. Oh baby, why don’t you just let it show? “Hey!” she laughed, “that’s Brown Eyed Girl on the radio!” On the radio.
Would you fall in love in Jesselton ere days of ‘burn baby burn’?
Would you fall in love in Jesselton tonight?
Words & Music By Pete Teo
Redbag Music 2003 All Rights Reserved
I had to look up Druid Hills in Wikipedia, but my first impression was of a mystical world, as opposed to a planned community designed by Olmstead. Still, that sentence is so evocative.
Steve, your knowledge of music is endless! And Druid Hills was an apartment complex in Atlanta where my boyfriend lived -- he was my first love and we loved to talk about the irony of that name.
ReplyDelete