He reuses the verse melody from the previous album's "Dirty Little Religion", the topics of the verses are all over the place, and he packs too many words into one line (goes to show...) and too few in another (it's pretty hard to find), and rhymes "Henley Regatta" with "Persona non grata", but gets away with it all as only he could.
You can take all the tea in China
Put it in a big brown bag for me
Sail right around all the seven oceans
Drop it straight into the deep blue sea
She's as sweet as Tupelo honey
She's an angel of the first degree
She's as sweet as Tupelo honey
Just like honey from the bee
You can't stop us on the road to freedom
You can't keep us 'cause our eyes can see
Men with insight, men in granite
Knights in armor bent on chivalry
She's as sweet as Tupelo honey
She's an angel of the first degree
She's as sweet as Tupelo honey
Just like honey, baby, from the bee
You can't stop us on the road to freedom
You can't stop us 'cause our eyes can see
Men with insight, men in granite
Knights in armor intent on chivalry
She's as sweet as Tupelo honey
She's an angel of the first degree
She's as sweet as Tupelo honey
Just like honey, baby, from the bee
You know she's alright, oh she's alright with me
You know, you know, you know she's alright, she alright with me
You know, you know, you know you know
You know she's alright, alright with me
She's alright, she's alright
She's alright with me
She's alright
She's alright with me
She's alright
She's alright with me
She's al, she's alright, she's alright
She's alright with me
She's alright, she's alright, she's alright, she's alright
You can take all the tea in China
Put it in a big brown bag for me
Sail it right around all these seven oceans
Drop it smack dab in the middle of the deep blue sea
Because, she's as sweet as Tupelo honey, yes she is
She's an angel of the first degree
She's as sweet as Tupelo honey
Just like honey, baby, from the bee
She's as sweet as Tupelo honey
She's an angel of the first degree
She's as sweet as Tupelo honey
Just like the honey, from the bee
She's alright, she's alright with me
She's my baby, you know she's alright
She's my baby, she's my baby, she's alright
She's my baby
Put it in a big brown bag for me
Sail right around all the seven oceans
Drop it straight into the deep blue sea
She's as sweet as Tupelo honey
She's an angel of the first degree
She's as sweet as Tupelo honey
Just like honey from the bee
You can't stop us on the road to freedom
You can't keep us 'cause our eyes can see
Men with insight, men in granite
Knights in armor bent on chivalry
She's as sweet as Tupelo honey
She's an angel of the first degree
She's as sweet as Tupelo honey
Just like honey, baby, from the bee
You can't stop us on the road to freedom
You can't stop us 'cause our eyes can see
Men with insight, men in granite
Knights in armor intent on chivalry
She's as sweet as Tupelo honey
She's an angel of the first degree
She's as sweet as Tupelo honey
Just like honey, baby, from the bee
You know she's alright, oh she's alright with me
You know, you know, you know she's alright, she alright with me
You know, you know, you know you know
You know she's alright, alright with me
She's alright, she's alright
She's alright with me
She's alright
She's alright with me
She's alright
She's alright with me
She's al, she's alright, she's alright
She's alright with me
She's alright, she's alright, she's alright, she's alright
You can take all the tea in China
Put it in a big brown bag for me
Sail it right around all these seven oceans
Drop it smack dab in the middle of the deep blue sea
Because, she's as sweet as Tupelo honey, yes she is
She's an angel of the first degree
She's as sweet as Tupelo honey
Just like honey, baby, from the bee
She's as sweet as Tupelo honey
She's an angel of the first degree
She's as sweet as Tupelo honey
Just like the honey, from the bee
She's alright, she's alright with me
She's my baby, you know she's alright
She's my baby, she's my baby, she's alright
She's my baby
Lyrics submitted by yuri_sucupira
Tupelo Honey Lyrics as written by Van Morrison
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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"Tupelo honey is produced from the Tupelo gum tree which grows profusely along the Chipola and Apalachicola rivers of northwest Florida. Here in the river swamps, this honey is produced in a unique fashion. Bees are placed on elevated platforms along the river's edge, from which, during April and May they fan out through the surrounding Tupelo-blossom-laden swamps and return with their precious treasure. This river valley is the only place in the world where Tupelo Honey is produced commercially. Real Tupelo honey is light amber in color, light golden with a greenish cast. The flavor is delicious, distinctive, a choice table honey."
Now you know...
That is interesting... I never knew that about Tupelo Honey. I always thought he was referring to Tupelo, Mississippi. I lived in Tupelo for a a few years as a kid growing up. <br /> <br /> Many musicians are familiar with Tupelo, because it is where Elvis Presley was born and lived most of his childhood. <br /> <br /> I can remember riding my bicycle to the neighbors, which was a few houses over out in the country. He had a bee farm and would give us mason jars of honey with the honey comb still in it... the honey was so sweet, we would eat it by the spoonful like candy. I assume they were Tupelo honey trees... <br /> <br /> Either way, this song is one of my favorites... brings back memories of my childhood every time I hear it and I can tell you, whoever he is singing this song about must have been really sweet to be compared to Tupelo Honey. :)<br /> <br />
@park79 Everybody focused on the Honey, but that's a euphemism for FREEDOM. It's AS sweet as Tupelo Honey, but Irish and Scots have a forever Love of Freedom. Some idiots think it's about the birthplace of Elvis, or even the breasts of his mother! Some idiots can't even read the lyrics and make a connection.
@park79 I'm pretty sure all people want freedom for themselves, it has nothing to do with being Irish or whatever. Unfortunately lots of people (Republicans) don't want other people to have freedom.
crazy good song. this and into the mystic..
A posting to the Van mailing list May/96 notes the existence of a "lost verse" to this song, here transcribed from a performance on the Van Morrison in Ireland concert video:
There's a rose pressed inside a bible That she reads on the balcony She's sweet in slumber and I've got her number For the beginning of the century.
Van list member Art Siegel comments in Nov/97 that "I don't think the rose in the bible is a true 'lost verse', but rather one that Van added to his live performances years after the original. There is, though, a true 'lost verse' which is in the original sheet music:"
I'll tell a tale of old Manhattan Adirondack bus to go Standing waiting on my number And my number's gonna show.
The Dusty Springfield cover version on The Van Morrison Songbook CD has a variant of this:
I heard a tale of old Manhattan I've never been there but I want to go Standing waiting on my number And my number's gonna show.
Wow man thats awesome, where did you go to get on the mailing list? i really like Van and if you read this hit me back at JFricke08@yahoo.com if you can help lol. thanks
Great love song hits me everytime i listen to it.
very beautiful. nice guitar. beautiful lyrics.
What is Tupalo Honey? Is it a brand?
@notFRANK Get past the honey - it's not even about the sweetest honey, but something AS sweet as that to an Irishman, and that's FREEDOM! Scots and Irish have a forever Love of Freedom - men with insight, men in granite, men in armour intent on chivalry - he sings of freedom fighters of past and present who join him on the Road to Freedom.
Interesting thing I found: Bob Dylan, a like-minded soul mate of Van Morrison, has said that "Tupelo Honey" has always existed and that Morrison was merely the vessel and the earthly vehicle for it.
I don't really care for pop music like Morrison does, but the guy is so incredible at it, I cant stop listening to it. I really do think Tupelo Honey is one of the top 5 songs of all time, at least.
Cassandra Wilson has great cover of this too
The three most sustained attack on the realist tradition in 20th century. James Joyce in literature, Samuel Beckett in theatre and Van Morrison in popular music. All Irish, and the 3 chef d'oeuvre, Ulysses, Waiting for Godot and Astral Weeks, rejected and neglected on first appearance, especially in their native land. A prophet is never accepted in his own country.
I like thinking about that.
@vasnmoGo 50 years ago we knew this was a song about FREEDOM. Now the morons think it's a song about honey.