Van Morrison over zijn jeugd in en rond zijn geboorteplaats Belfast. Morrison beschikt over een ongeëvenaard vermogen alledaagse gebeurtenissen van een magisch – of zo je wilt mystiek – aura te voorzien. Dit is misschien niet helemaal het niveau van Astral Weeks, maar het is een stuk toegankelijker en nog steeds bijzonder fraai.
Newtonards, Comber, Gransha en Bollystockart zijn kleine steden in de buurt van Belfast. Boffyflow en Spike zijn twee kennissen van Van Morrison, de instrumental “Boffyflow And Spike” op het album A Sense Of Wonder is naar hen vernoemd. In de liner notes van het album vertelt Van hun verhaal:“So let us follow Boffyflow and Spike down through the days of the leaves. Boffy is covered with leaves completely the buckijit and Spike is in hysterics. On they go, on and on up the small incline, gathering sacks of leaves for burning in the clearing and waiting on McDole”. Fictie, non-fictie of beiden, wie zal het zeggen. In het universum van Van Morrison is dat onderscheid waarschijnlijk irrelevant.
I walked in my greatcoat
Down through the days of the leaves.
No before after, yes after before
We were shining our light into the days of blooming wonder
In the eternal presence, in the presence of the flame.
Didn’t I come to bring you a sense of wonder
Didn’t I come to lift your fiery vision bright
Didn’t I come to bring you a sense of wonder in the flame.
On and on and on and on we kept singing our song
Over Newtonards and Comber, Gransha and the
Ballystockart Road.
With Boffyflow and Spike
I said I could describe the leaves for Samuel and Felicity
Rich, red browney, half burnt orange and green.
Didn’t I come to bring you a sense of wonder
Didn’t I come to lift your fiery vision bright
Didn’t I come to bring you a sense of wonder in the flame.
It’s easy to describe the leaves in the Autumn
And it’s oh so easy in the Spring
But down through January and February it’s a very different thing.
On and on and on, through the winter of our discontent.
When the wind blows up the collar and the ears are frostbitten too
I said I could describe the leaves for Samuel and what it means to you and me
You may call my love Sophia, but I call my love Philosophy.
Didn’t I come to bring you a sense of wonder
Didn’t I come to lift your fiery vision
Didn’t I come to bring you a sense of wonder in the flame.
Wee Alfie at the
Castle Picture House on the Castlereagh Road.
Whistling on the corner next door where
he kept Johnny Mack Brown’s horse.
O Solo Mio by McGimsey
and the man who played the saw
outside the city hall.
Pastie suppers down at Davey’s chipper
Gravy rings, barmbracks
Wagon wheels, snowballs.
Uitgelichte afbeelding: Door Art Siegel (artolog on flickr) – https://www.flickr.com/photos/artolog/407217985, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1769663
