Cleaning Windows

To me, Van is singing about how he's happy day to day, but he's meant for something more. He's reading books about hitting the road and traveling the country, while dreaming of being a musician.

The chorus is key: "What's my line? I'm happy cleaning windows"

• He tells himself and others that he's happy, but it's not the whole story...

"Baby, don't let it slide, I'm a working man in my prime, cleaning windows."

• He's spending the best years of his life cleaning windows, when he should be following his heart and passion. He knows deep down that he's meant for more, but for now, he's happy enough cleaning windows.

i luv this song.......it makes think of someone who has a carefree kinda life just cleaning windows(duh) and doin what he wants. I wish my life will be like.

Van spent his early days cleaning windows during the week and whaling on the sax on the weekends, very good way to go, this obvoiusly made him happy as the song is sang so joyful and full of energy, like all van songs the intensity is a 10 even when he is whispering.

Such a joyful song, i discovered it on my locals jukebox. Did he write this while he was still cleaning windows? As long as you're happy thats what matters. Brilliant song.

I like that Van says the smell of the bakery "got in his nose", rather than just saying he smelled something.

I agree that it's about his contentedness simply doing a menial job (cleaning windows) and enjoying music.

He actually says 'number thirty-six'. not 'a hundred and thirty six.

This sounds like a set of experiences that a lot of musicians, poets, and artists could appreciate: working a menial job, sure, but using that to buy the ability to indulge in art on the sly.

Notice that he devotes one line to "blowing saxophone on the weekend," but a whole verse to the influences that he describes himself as absorbing and taking to heart.

while i agree that a lot of the song is based in memories of working like the narrator, i think the key to this song are in the chorus and their being in the present tense: "what's my line/i'm happy cleaning windows" and "i'm a working man in my prime." to me this song is about what might have happened if he had never become "van morrison"--if he had remained somebody who cleaned windows, who "took his time," who "blew saxophone on the weekends." there are several lines suggesting caution, holding back--"curiosity killed the cat," "take my time." From this perspective the present-day van is more like the music the narrator listens to--in this way, the person who left home to follow their curiosity. At least, I think this accounts for the combination of happiness and wistfulness I hear in it.

Just have to say, I've heard this song so many times, but today, I just really heard the instrumental introduction. It's like I never heard it before, and it really gets to my soul!

I think the message of the song is actually that you DON'T have to feel pressure to follow your dreams or "achieve your potential". I think he's talking about how people expected him to grow into some amazing musician (because he had musical talent), but he unironically was perfectly happy cleaning windows and that there's nothing wrong with that. Not everyone has to "be great" if they can just be happy.

Also, I disagree with the lyrics on here and other sites. I think he says "in a Down joint" (as in a bar in County Down). Firstly, he is from that county. Secondly he references it in another song on the album ["Northern Muse (Solid Ground)"] and thirdly, I don't know what "that down joint" would mean, otherwise.