This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
And they'll lay you down low in the easy
And the lips that you kiss will say Christmas
And the miles that you traveled the distance
So believe no lies, dry your eyes and realize
That surprise
La, la, la, la la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
And the businessmen will shake hands and talk in numbers
And the princess will wake up from her slumber
Then all the knights will step forth with their arm bands
And every stranger you meet in the street will make demands
So believe no lies, then dry your eyes and realize
That surprise
La, la, la, la la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
And we'll send you glad tidings from New York
Open up your eyes so you may see
Ask you not to read between the lines
Hope that you will come in right on time
And they'll talk to you while you're in trances
And you'll visualize not taking any chances
But meet them halfway with love, peace and persuasion
And expect them to rise for the occasion
Don't it gratify when you see it materialize
Right in front of your eyes
That surprise
La, la, la, la la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
And we'll send you glad tidings from New York
Open up your eyes so you may see
Ask you not to read between the lines
Hope that you will come in right on time
And they'll lay you down low and easy
And the lips that you kiss will say Christmas
And the miles that you traveled the distance
So believe no lies, dry your eyes and realize
That surprise
La, la, la, la la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
And the businessmen will shake hands and talk in numbers
And the princess will wake up from her slumber
Then all the knights will step forth with their arm bands
And every stranger you meet in the street will make demands
So believe no lies, then dry your eyes and realize
That surprise
La, la, la, la la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
And we'll send you glad tidings from New York
Open up your eyes so you may see
Ask you not to read between the lines
Hope that you will come in right on time
And they'll talk to you while you're in trances
And you'll visualize not taking any chances
But meet them halfway with love, peace and persuasion
And expect them to rise for the occasion
Don't it gratify when you see it materialize
Right in front of your eyes
That surprise
La, la, la, la la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
And we'll send you glad tidings from New York
Open up your eyes so you may see
Ask you not to read between the lines
Hope that you will come in right on time
And they'll lay you down low and easy
Lyrics submitted by yuri_sucupira, edited by classof1974, DanVitaleRocks
Glad Tidings Lyrics as written by Van Morrison
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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Great, catchy song. :D
Hats off to the The Sopranos producers for cleverly using this song in the final episode of Season 5. Simply brilliant!
I'm a little suprised actually no one has ever made this comment already.
@christos this song makes a few appearances in that episode. Anytime I hear this song, I think of Tony Blundetto getting shot by Tony.
My favorite from "Moondance." The album liner gives the 2nd and 3rd lines as: "And it looks like you kids will stay Christmas It demands that you travel the distance." It's about looking forward to a visit, but mostly I love individual lines rather than "understanding" it as a clear story. The princess awakens, the knights step forward... Don't read between the lines, meet them halfway, And expect them to rise for the occasion.
The melody is both propulsive and soaring, and the word's flash semi-random mythic images. It works for me.
@Hal Boutham My SECOND favorite from "Moondance." My favorite has to be "Into the Mystic."
@Hal Boutham My SECOND favorite from "Moondance." My favorite has to be "Into the Mystic."
Yeah, I first heard this song on the Sopranos and almost cried right there . . . what a great Christmas song. This is what Christmas is about for me. I don't care about the religious stuff or the consumption, but I really like seeing the people you love and feeling like "they'll talk to you when you're in trances"--i.e. they love you and they don't care if you're a little off. All they ask is that you don't read between the lines--i.e. you take their love at face value. That's what I read into it, anyway.
I'm a little embarrassed to admit that as a big Van Morrison fan, I heard this for the first time on the Sopranos. Or perhaps this song first took on some meaning when it played during the Sopranos. Either way, superb music choices by the producers and yet more awesome music from Van the man.
One of my 'life anthems'. A sing along song, always. To me it's about not believing everything people tell you and being careful. 'Believe no lies/and realise' is the clincher for me - it's saying, take on board what people tell you but don't believe everything. It's about not being led astray by people and their ideas, not letting people put you into a hopeful trance,
'Open up your eyes so you may see Ask you not to read between the lines Hope that you will come in right on time And they'll talk to you while you're in trances And you'll visualize not taking any chances But meet them halfway with love, peace and persuasion'
It's saying, believe what you want to and believe what you can, but don't let people persuade you with their shallow arguments.
@megznz <br /> Wow... So you're a "big Van Morrison fan", and you'd never heard this song prior to The Sopranos? I'd say that makes you a casual Van fan at best. That's like saying you're a huge Stones fan, yet you'd never heard Gimme Shelter prior to watching Good Fellas. It's only of the best songs on one of his best known albums.
This song has quite a few references to lyrics on Astral Weeks.
'Dry your eyes' & 'You're in trances' are from Madame George. 'not to read between the lines' is from Sweet Thing.
Lovely song and I like how it links back to Astral Weeks.
And "Queen of the Slipstream" references "Come Running." Neat.
For me, this song speaks to seeing our heart's desire manifested in the world! And for anyone who has ever tried ( and succeeded) to manifest something in the field of infinite possibility, it is always a SURPRISE! :-)
The whole Moondance album is very spiritual, very much on the vanguard of the new age - it was 1970, after all! We "believe no lies" (we know our own inner truth), we "dry our eyes" (we create love and joy instead of fear and pain)... when we "come right in on time" it's because we're just in the flow - everything is the universe is working on our behalf. Beautiful!
I like the comment above from Hal Boutham that "the words flash semi-random mythic messages"
"Open up your eyes so you can see" - we have the power to create our reality with our thoughts and what we visualize. We'll see it "materialize right in front of our our eyes".
Meet the world with "love, peace and persuasion" and EXPECT IT to rise to the occasion!
Exactly so!
So what if someone says it's about a contract negotiation! That may be true, but the story has been transformed by the artist into something beautiful and life-affirming with a mythic resonance indeed.
The song is both suspenseful and mysterious and is my favorite song! The truth of this song can not be discerned by "everyday" people as revealed in the previous comments. But isn't it wonderful that everyone somehow personally can relate to it. Because Van Morrison is prophetic, meaning he experiences divine revelation, he writes songs that can touch everyone somehow but they hold deeper truths than most realize.... This song is simply and truly about THE LORD COMING BACK and about people's travels that have been awakened (REBORN)!!!!
Mark H.
I know exactly what this song is about. Yes, it's about finally getting that recording contract, which has been a tightly held wish/dream for many, many years of this singer/songwriter. She had virtually given up hope of any recognition from "the world", but giving it up it was a necessary part of getting it. The expectations had to go to make room for surprises. She has been in a slumber and now must wake up to the demands of touring, performing, recording etc but the long slumber has given her a perspective which only surrender can bring. She can now meet the businessmen halfway wilth love, peace and persuasion. Her dreams have materialised without losing her soul.
Sopranos is the shit! I love that show... but what the hell is this song about?