"Into the Mystic" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and featured on his 1970 album Moondance. It was also included on Morrison's 1974 live album, It's Too Late To Stop Now.
The song has a soothing, calm, medium-paced tempo. It is among the most popular songs doctors listen to while operating, according to a survey made by BBC.[1]
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"Into the Mystic" was recorded during the Moondance sessions at A&R Recording Studios in New York City in September to November 1969. Elliott Scheiner was the engineer.[2]
The lyrics are about a spiritual quest, typical of Morrison's work. "Bass thrums like a boat in motion, and the song comes back to water as a means of magical transformation."[3] "At the very end Van sings: too late to stop now, suggesting that the song also describes an act of love." (This phrase would become a key point of many live concerts.)[4] Compared to "Yesterday" by The Beatles, It has been described as "another song where the music and the words seem to have been born together, at the same time, to make one perfectly formed, complete artistic element.“[5]
Morrison remarked on the song: "'Into the Mystic' is another one like 'Madame Joy' and 'Brown Skinned Girl'. Originally I wrote it as 'Into the Misty'. But later I thought that it had something of an ethereal feeling to it so I called it 'Into the Mystic'. That song is kind of funny because when it came time to send the lyrics in WB Music, I couldn't figure out what to send them. Because really the song has two sets of lyrics. For example, there's 'I was born before the wind' and 'I was borne before the wind', and also 'Also younger than the son, Ere the bonny boat was one' and 'All so younger than the son, Ere the bonny boat was won' ... I guess the song is just about being part of the universe."[6]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_The_Mystic
Into the Mystic
We were born before the wind
Also younger than the sun
Ere the bonnie boat was won as we sailed into the mystic
Hark, now hear the sailors cry
Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic
And when that fog horn blows I will be coming home
And when the fog horn blows I want to hear it
I don't have to fear it
And I want to rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
And magnificently we will flow into the mystic
When that fog horn blows you know I will be coming home
And when that fog horn whistle blows I got to hear it
I don't have to fear it
And I want to rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
And together we will flow into the mystic
Come on girl...
Too late to stop now...
--song written by Van Morrison
First, the lyrics can be interpreted anyway you like, within reason. Not that reason has much to do with how lyrical poems are created. For that you need inspiration. At the conclusion of the piece its clear just who that inspiration is. (And let's not ignore the melodic line.)
Superficially its just another sea-chanty. However, the subtext is something else again. Life is the voyage. Love is what keeps it all going.
The Allman Brothers - Wanee 2011
Recorded with a Canon Vixia HFS100 with a DM-100 External Mic.
Okay. Here's the original version by Van. I'm a great fan of the awesome Derek Trucks--who remains an official member of the Allmans-- so just expect me to post anything he's in whether its one of his original compositions say with Tedeschi Trucks Band or a cover with whoever.
