Lit Up Inside: Selected Lyrics

Van Morrison is one of a handful of truly iconic twentieth century artists. Along with Bob Dylan, he was one of the first contemporary lyricists to infuse a serious poetic sensibility into popular music. A colossal influence on a wide range of fellow musicians, he has been a singular beacon of artistic integrity, soulful conviction and musical excellence.

One of the greatest singer/songwriters of all time, Morrison has been following his muse in an uncompromising way since the early Sixties. He has explored soul, jazz, blues, rhythm & blues, rock and roll, Celtic folk, pop balladry and more, forging a distinctive amalgam that has Morrison’s unvarnished passion at its core. He has referred to his music as “Caledonia soul,” reflecting his deep immersion in American roots music and Ulster-Scots.

This personal selection of what Morrison himself has judged to be his most important and enduring lyrical work will stand as a landmark public statement from an otherwise intensely private artist, an intimate and very intentional view onto what Morrison himself esteems as his creative contribution.

The introduction by Eamonn Hughes, of Queen’s University, Belfast, gives a career-long overview of the creative influences Morrison has absorbed and channeled through the years, and the forewords by poet David Meltzer and novelist Ian Rankin provide an appreciation of the writer’s craft demonstrated in Morrison’s evocative, timeless lyrics.

A must for any fan, and a solid introduction to this singular, iconic talent.

"'Tupelo Honey' has always existed and Van Morrison was merely the vessel and the earthly vehicle for it."–Bob Dylan

"I know of no music that is more lucid, feelable, hearable, seeable, touchable, no music you can experience more intensely than this. Not just moments, but extended . . . periods of experience which convey the feel of what films could be: a form or perception which no longer burls itself blindly on meanings and definitions, but allows the sensuous to take over and grow . . . where indeed something does become indescribable."–Wim Wenders, filmmaker

"No other Irish poets-writing either in verse or in music--have come within a Honda's roar of Patrick Kavanagh and Van Morrison"--Paul Durcan

Van Morrison, aka Van the Man, is a famous Irish singer, songwriter, and musician. He began his professional musical career in 1958 and is still active to this day. He can play guitar, harmonica, saxophone, keyboard, drums, tamourine, and ukulele. His music genres range from rock to country to gospel to blues. He has received 6 Grammy Awards and has been inducted into the Rockand Roll Hall of Fame as well as the Songerwriters Hall of Fame.


Table of Contents:


Foreword by David Meltzer

Introduction by Eammon Hughes

The Story of Them 000
Gloria 000
My Lonely Sad Eyes 000
Mystic Eyes 000
Philosophy 000
Brown Eyed Girl 000
T.B. Sheets 000
Spanish Rose 000
Who Drove the Red Sports Car? 000
Send Your Mind 000
The Back Room 000
Joe Harper Saturday Morning 000
Madame George 000
Slim Slow Slider 000
The Way Young Lovers Do 000
Moondance 000
Into the Mystic 000
Brand New Day 000
Crazy Face 000
I’ve Been Workin’ 000
Blue Money 000
Street Choir 000
Tupelo Honey 000
When that Evening Sun Goes Down 000
Jackie Wilson Said (I’m in Heaven When You Smile) 000
Gypsy 000
Listen to the Lion 000
Saint Dominic’s Preview 000
Snow in San Anselmo 000
Warm Love 000
Hard Nose the Highway 000
Wild Children 000
The Great Deception 000
Bulbs 000
Comfort You 000
Come Here My Love 000
Cul-de-Sac 000
It Fills You Up 000
Cold Wind in August 000
Kingdom Hall 000
Wavelength 000
Bright Side of the Road 000
Rolling Hills 000
And the Healing Has Begun 000
You Know What They’re Writing About 000
Summertime in England 000
Celtic Ray 000
Dweller on the Threshold (Van Morrison and Hugh Murphy) 000
Beautiful Vision 000
She Gives Me Religion 000
Cleaning Windows 000
Higher Than the World 000
River of Time 000
Cry for Home 000
Rave on, John Donne/Rave on, Part Two 00
Tore Down à la Rimbaud 000
Got to Go Back 000
In the Garden 000
One Irish Rover 000
Foreign Window 000
Tir Na Nog 000
I Forgot that Love Existed 000
Someone Like You 000
Alan Watts Blues 000
Did Ye Get Healed 000
Irish Heartbeat 000
Whenever God Shines His Light 000
Have I Told You Lately that I Love You? 000
Coney Island 000
Orangefield 000
These Are the Days 000
So Quiet in Here 000
In the Days Before Rock ’n’ Roll 000
Memories 000
Why Must I Always Explain? 000
Take Me Back 000
All Saints Day 000
Hymns to the Silence 000
On Hyndford Street 000
Too Long in Exile 000
Wasted Years (Duet with John Lee Hooker) 000
No Religion 000
Songwriter 000
Days Like This 000
Fire in the Belly 000
Burning Ground 000
Sometimes We Cry 000
Not Supposed to Break Down 000
Madame Joy 000
Naked in the Jungle 000
The Street Only Knew Your Name 000
Show Business 000
Philosopher’s Stone 000
High Summer 000
Choppin’ Wood 000
What Makes the Irish Heart Beat 000
What’s Wrong with This Picture? 000
Somerset 000
Meaning of Loneliness 000
Stranded 000
Pay the Devil 000
This Has Got to Stop 000
End of the Land 000
Song of Home 000
Soul 000
Mystic of the East 000

Index of Titles and First Lines 000


Review :
"Van Morrison is renowned as a singer, songwriter, and rock artist. None of these descriptors do him justice. Very few rock and roll 'poets' would survive artistically if their songs appeared on the printed page without the music or the musical arrangements. . . . Once the reader gets over the shock of not hearing the music for these lyrics, or the brilliant arrangements that often accompany this music, a thoughtful and brilliant poet stands for all the world to see."--Dick Weissman, Portland Book Review

"The best part of the book is it immediately reconnects you with Morrison's amazing songwriting and performing talent. And who wouldn't want to know which songs mean the most to someone of the stature and fame of Morrison."--Andrea Young, "Aspenbeat"

"Lit Up Inside, a collection of Van Morrison's lyrics that the singer/songwriter specifically wanted published by City Lights and its founder Lawrence Ferlinghetti. . . . This is the only book that Morrison has ever endorsed in an official capacity. It brings together the lyrics of 100 songs from his 50-year, 40-album career. Introduction by Eamonn Hughes; foreword by David Meltzer [and Ian Rankin]."--Publishers Weekly

" . . . the combination of deep personal content and universal humanity tucked inside Morrison's songs was largely lost on me until reading the verses as a whole in Lit Up Inside (City Lights 2014), the first published collection of his lyrics, handpicked by the songwriter. It is within these songs—written in Morrison’s own Irish, romantic, soul code, with their carefully planned lines and studied notes and phrases, learned from jazz and classic blues and early rock 'n' roll—the story of Morrison’s life unfolds."--Denise Sullivan, Blurt Magazine

"The big news for devotees of Van Morrison is that he has deigned to authorize a book of his lyrics entitled Lit Up Inside to be published by City Lights. The two hundred page tome will include one-third of the lyrics Morrison has written over the course of his career.”--Robert Birnbaum, Our Man in Boston

"Music enthusiasts will finally get a glimpse into his creative consciousness with the release of Lit Up Inside, a collection of 100 lyrics curated by Morrison himself. This will be the first literary work published with Morrison's blessing. . . . Morrison chose City Lights to release the book because of the house's consistent commitment to artistic integrity, from the beat generation forward."--Paste Magazine

“One of rock's more interview-shy luminaries, Van Morrison has always preferred to let his songs speak for themselves--and they’ll do just that this fall, when he debuts Lit Up Inside,’ a collection of selected lyrics spanning his entire career."--Ultimateclassicrock.com

"When a brilliant, reclusive musical icon peeks his head out to make a statement about his life's work, you can only sit up, listen and be grateful. Van Morrison has handpicked and published a collection of what he deems his best and most significant lyrics to date and maybe a glimpse at what he sees as his musical legacy. This is a wonderful re-experiencing of his music for any fan."—Joann Moreno, Madison Park Times

"Greil Marcus is not alone in believing that Van has pop music's richest and most expressive voice since Elvis Presley."–Russell Leadbetter, The Herald, Scotland

"One of the few originals left in rock."–Jon Landau, Rolling Stone
"Van Morrison is renowned as a singer, songwriter, and rock artist. None of these descriptors do him justice. Very few rock and roll 'poets' would survive artistically if their songs appeared on the printed page without the music or the musical arrangements. . . . Once the reader gets over the shock of not hearing the music for these lyrics, or the brilliant arrangements that often accompany this music, a thoughtful and brilliant poet stands for all the world to see."--Dick Weissman, Portland Book Review

"The best part of the book is it immediately reconnects you with Morrison's amazing songwriting and performing talent. And who wouldn't want to know which songs mean the most to someone of the stature and fame of Morrison."--Andrea Young, "Aspenbeat"

"Lit Up Inside, a collection of Van Morrison's lyrics that the singer/songwriter specifically wanted published by City Lights and its founder Lawrence Ferlinghetti. . . . This is the only book that Morrison has ever endorsed in an official capacity. It brings together the lyrics of 100 songs from his 50-year, 40-album career. Introduction by Eamonn Hughes; foreword by David Meltzer [and Ian Rankin]."--Publishers Weekly

" . . . the combination of deep personal content and universal humanity tucked inside Morrison's songs was largely lost on me until reading the verses as a whole in Lit Up Inside (City Lights 2014), the first published collection of his lyrics, handpicked by the songwriter. It is within these songs—written in Morrison’s own Irish, romantic, soul code, with their carefully planned lines and studied notes and phrases, learned from jazz and classic blues and early rock 'n' roll—the story of Morrison’s life unfolds."--Denise Sullivan, Blurt Magazine

"The big news for devotees of Van Morrison is that he has deigned to authorize a book of his lyrics entitled Lit Up Inside to be published by City Lights. The two hundred page tome will include one-third of the lyrics Morrison has written over the course of his career.”--Robert Birnbaum, Our Man in Boston

"Music enthusiasts will finally get a glimpse into his creative consciousness with the release of Lit Up Inside, a collection of 100 lyrics curated by Morrison himself. This will be the first literary work published with Morrison's blessing. . . . Morrison chose City Lights to release the book because of the house's consistent commitment to artistic integrity, from the beat generation forward."--Paste Magazine

“One of rock's more interview-shy luminaries, Van Morrison has always preferred to let his songs speak for themselves--and they’ll do just that this fall, when he debuts Lit Up Inside,’ a collection of selected lyrics spanning his entire career."--Ultimateclassicrock.com

"When a brilliant, reclusive musical icon peeks his head out to make a statement about his life's work, you can only sit up, listen and be grateful. Van Morrison has handpicked and published a collection of what he deems his best and most significant lyrics to date and maybe a glimpse at what he sees as his musical legacy. This is a wonderful re-experiencing of his music for any fan."—Joann Moreno, Madison Park Times

"Greil Marcus is not alone in believing that Van has pop music's richest and most expressive voice since Elvis Presley."–Russell Leadbetter, The Herald, Scotland

"One of the few originals left in rock."–Jon Landau, Rolling Stone