Van Morrison – A Sense of Wonder (Lyrics on screen and in description)
This is the title track from “A Sense of Wonder”, the fifteenth studio album by Northern Irish singer/songwriter Van Morrison & released in 1985. As I made this video, I envisioned myself walking along a forest path and remembering various events in my life, both big and small. I tried my best to convey the images in Van’s fantastic lyrics. I hope you’ll enjoy this video.
“A Sense of Wonder” Lyrics:
I walked in my greatcoat, down through the days of the leaves
No, before after; yes, after before
We were shining our light into the days of blooming wonder
In the eternal presence, in the presence of the flame
Didn’t I come to bring you a sense of wonder?
Didn’t I come to lift your fiery vision bright?
Didn’t I come to bring you a sense of wonder in the flame
On and on and on and on, we kept on singing our song
Through Newtonards and Comber, Gransha and the Ballystockart Road
To Spike and Boffyflow, I said I would describe the leaves
For Samuel and Felicity, rich, red browney, half burnt orange and green
Didn’t I come to bring you a sense of wonder?
Didn’t I come to lift your fiery vision bright?
Didn’t I come to bring you a sense of wonder in the flame
It’s easy to describe the leaves in the Autumn
And it’s, oh so easy in the Spring
But down through January and February
It’s a very different thing
On and on and on through the winter of our discontent
When the wind blows up the collar and the ears are frostbitten too
I said, I could describe the leaves for Samuel
And what it means to you and me
You may call my love “Sophia”, but I call my love Philosophy
Didn’t I come to bring you a sense of wonder?
Didn’t I come to lift your fiery vision bright?
Didn’t I come to bring you a sense of wonder in the flame
Wee Alfie at the Castle Picturehouse on the Castlereagh Road
Whistling on the corner next door
Where he kept Johnny Mack Brown’s horse
“O Solo Mio” by McGimsey and the man who played the saw
Outside the city hall, pastie suppers down at Davy’s chipper
Gravyrings, wagon wheels, barnbracks, snowballs
Didn’t I come to bring you a sense of wonder? (3X)
Van wrote the following as part of the liner notes of the LP version of A Sense of Wonder to go with an instrumental “Boffyflow and Spike” included on that album. Some of the text from this piece also appears in the lyrics for A Sense of Wonder. I think it helps add to and clarify the meaning of the song, “A Sense of Wonder”:
“So let us follow Boffyflow and Spike down through the days of the leaves. Boffy is covered with leaves completely the buckijit and Spike is in hysterics. On they go, on and on up the small incline, gathering sacks of leaves for burning in the clearing and waiting on McDole.
McDole has not been seen nor heard of since Halloween and everyone is getting a trifle nervous. Spike took the sheet of paper from his inside coat pocket and tried to decipher the code, but as he glanced over the page, he realised he had not noticed the note in the margin that said It means what it means, followed by, Wee Alfie at the Castle picturehouse on the Castlereagh Road, whistling on the corner next door where he kept Johnny Mack Brown’s horse. O Solo Mio by McGimsey and the man who played the saw outside the city hall. Pastie suppers down at Davy’s Chipper, gravy rings, barmbracks, wagon wheels, snowballs. A Sense of Wonder.
On and on. Spike and Boffyflow tramping with sacks of leaves over the Gransha road to Ballystockart and back again. Puck up said Boffy, It means what it means and we have a windfall. If we’re not daft enough to burn these leaves, we can freeze them ’til next Autumn, study them and then let them decompose. If we can get in touch with your man, I would strongly advise him to do ditto with the documents.
Just at that moment, as if by a strike of faith, McDole came round the bent on a bike. Okay lads, you’re on to something, don’t blow it. Go out to the Isle and have a few scoops on me. The boys drove out in the charabanc to Daft Eddies and ordered up. And so down to work putting the documents in perspective. McDole got out the accordian and started to wail When heart is open there’s loads from Ballygowan to Ballyhacamore. He spun round on one leg, grabbing Spike by the lapels, You’re terrible you are. You blurt. He put away six doubles of Jameson from the bar and sank into a deep apathetic slumber, mumbling Blinkin’ Cowboys, Blinkin’ Cowboys…”
