Van’s verslag van die ene magische dag in je jeugd die je nooit meer vergeet: “I suppose I was about twelve years old. We used to go to a place called Ballystockart to fish. We stopped in the village on the way up to this place and I went to this little stone house, and there was an old man there with dark weather-beaten skin, and we asked him if he had any water. He gave us some water which he said he’d got from the stream. We drank some and everything seemed to stop for me. Time stood still. For five minutes everything was really quiet and I was in this ‘other dimension’. That’s what the song is about”.
Moondance verscheen 2 jaar na het meesterwerk Astral Weeks. Astral Weeks werd én wordt algemeen gezien als één van de beste albums ooit, maar de plaat verkocht – ondanks alle lovende kritieken – voor geen meter. Voor Moondance gooide Van Morrison het roer radicaal om. De psychedelische folkjazz van Astral Weeks heeft plaats gemaakt voor soul en de cryptische stream of consciousness teksten van de voorganger zijn verdwenen. Moondance is warmer en – vooral – toegankelijker dan Astral Weeks. Van Morrison beschikt over een uniek talent voor het combineren van het aardse en het metafysische (het mystieke, als je wilt) en nergens komt dat beter tot uiting dan in dit juweeltje.
[Verse 1]
Half a mile from the county fair
And the rain came pourin’ down
Me and Billy standin’ there
With a silver half a crown
Hands are full of fishin’ rods
And the tackle on our backs
We just stood there gettin’ wet
With our backs against the fence
[Pre-Chorus 1]
Oh, the water
Oh, the water
Oh, the water
Hope it don’t rain all day
[Chorus]
And it stoned me to my soul
Stoned me just like Jelly Roll
And it stoned me
And it stoned me to my soul
Stoned me just like going home
And it stoned me
[Verse 2]
Then the rain let up and the sun came up
And we were gettin’ dry
Almost let a pick-up truck nearly pass us by
So we jumped right in and the driver grinned
And he dropped us up the road
And we looked at the swim and we jumped right in
Not to mention fishing poles
[Pre-Chorus 2]
Oh, the water
Oh, the water
Oh, the water
Let it run all over me
[Chorus]
Well it stoned me to my soul
Stoned me just like Jelly Roll
And it stoned me
And it stoned me to my soul
Stoned me just like going home
And it stoned me
[Instrumental Verse]
[Verse 3]
On the way back home we sang a song
But our throats were getting dry
Then we saw the man from across the road
With the sunshine in his eyes
Well he lived all alone in his own little home
With a great big gallon jar
There were bottles too, one for me and you
And he said “Hey! There you are”
[Pre-Chorus 3]
Oh, the water
Oh, the water
Oh, the water
Get it myself from the mountain stream
[Chorus]
Well it stoned me to my soul
Stoned me just like Jelly Roll
And it stoned me
And it stoned me to my soul
Stoned me just like going home
And it stoned me
Well it stoned me to my soul
Stoned me just like Jelly Roll
And it stoned me
And it stoned me to my soul
Stoned me just like going home
And it stoned me
Uitgelichte afbeelding: By Warner Bros. Records – Billboard, page 1, 29 July 1972, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27167406
