Who's heard Little Richard sing "Shake a Hand"?

Glad you liked the video.
Disappointed in your *normally* good taste in singer/songwriters, though.

The spiritual voice of a generation.
"And I heard Mahalia Jackson's voice coming though the either."
Van Morrison

Farm machinery are our friends!

Join the Club! LOL

I understand your point of view, it's no doubt held by many, after all she IS an artist.

But she also influenced the leaders of her peoples civil rights movement in ways that only the faithful can understand. For them she was the heavenly choir and she carried Gods promise of redemption into every church she sang in.

While all else oppressed them, she liberated them, freed them to believe they might know God.
Once a people grasp that, there is little to nothing that can stop them.

Her voice carries my prayers to heaven for me. As it is HER voice, I have some confidence they will be heard.

We can not afford to forget that Racism lives only in white churches
Though by no means all white churches.

Christ risen lives in black Churches. Though by no means Black churches alone.
( I have yet to hear a Black minister preaching hate within Christendom.)

In short I think she came to save souls.

So be careful where you hang your hat to pray.

And mind you, I am not even a Christian.

Yet I see her with pagan but loving eyes. She is not only making the journey but leading a nation on that journey.

She has been that powerful a presence.

Ah! Then perhaps you will enjoy this as well. I have dreams that began with this song.



Haunts of Ancient Peace
Van Morrison
Beside the garden walls,
We walk in haunts of ancient peace.
At night we rest and go to sleep
In haunts of ancient peace.
The love and light we seek,
The words we do not need to speak,
Here in this wondrous way we keep
These haunts of ancient peace.
Let us go there again
When we need some relief
Oh, when I can't find my feet
When I need rest and sleep.
The Sunday bells they chime
Around the countryside and towns
A song of harmony and rhyme
In haunts of ancient peace.
The holy grail we seek
On down by haunts of ancient peace.
We see the new Jerusalem
In haunts of ancient peace.
Oh, when I can't find my feet
Oh, when I need some relief
One more time again.
You know I want to go there one more time again.
Be still in haunts of ancient peace.
(Be still)
Songwriters: Van Morrison
Haunts of Ancient Peace lyrics © BMG Rights Management

This is, for me, the Jewel in his crown:
His love song to Mahalia Jackson
"I said, oh, common one, my illuminated one."





Summertime in England
Van Morrison
Can you meet me in the country
In the summertime in England
Will you meet me?
Will you meet me in the country
In the summertime in England
Will you meet me?
We'll go riding up to Kendal in the country
In the summertime in England.
Did you ever hear about
Did you ever hear about
Did you ever hear about
Wordsworth and Coleridge, baby?
Did you ever hear about Wordsworth and Coleridge?
They were smokin' up in Kendal
By the lakeside
Can you meet me in the country in the long grass
In the summertime in England
Will you meet me
With your red robe dangling all around your body
With your red robe dangling all around your body
Will you meet me
Did you ever hear about
William Blake
T. S. Eliot
In the summer
In the countryside
They were smokin'
Summertime in England
Won't you meet me down Bristol
Meet me along by Bristol
We'll go ridin' down
Down by Avalon
Down by Avalon
Down by Avalon
In the countryside in England
With your red robe danglin' all around your body free
Let your red robe go.
Goin' ridin' down by Avalon
Would you meet me in the country
In the summertime in England
Would you meet me?
In the Church of St. John
Down by Avalon


"Holy Magnet
Give you attraction
Yea, I was attracted to you.
Your coat was old, ragged and worn
And you wore it down through the ages
Ah, the sufferin' did show in your eyes as we spoke
And the gospel music
The voice of Mahalia Jackson came through the ether
Oh my common one with the coat so old
And the light in the head
Said, daddy, don't stroke me
Call me the common one.
I said, oh, common one, my illuminated one.
Oh my high in the art of sufferin' one.
Take a walk with me
Take a walk with me down by Avalon
Oh, my common one with the coat so old
And the light in her head.
And the sufferin' so fine
Take a walk with me down by Avalon
And I will show you
It ain't why, why, why
It just is."

Would you meet me in the country
Can you meet me in the long grass
In the country in the summertime
Can you meet me in the long grass
Wait a minute
With your red robe
Danglin' all around your body.
Yeats and Lady Gregory corresponded
And James Joyce wrote streams of consciousness books
T.S. Eliot chose England
T.S. Eliot joined the ministry
Did you ever hear about
Wordsworth and Coleridge?
Smokin' up in Kendal
They were smokin' by the lakeside
Let your red robe go
Let your red robe dangle in the countryside in England
We'll go ridin' down by Avalon
In the country
In the summertime
With you by my side
Let your red robe go
You'll be happy dancin'
Let your red robe go
Won't you meet me down by Avalon
In the summertime in England
In the Church of St. John
Did you ever hear about Jesus walkin'
Jesus walkin' down by Avalon?
Can you feel the light in England?
Can you feel the light in England?
Oh, my common one with the light in her head
And the coat so old
And the sufferin' so fine
Take a walk with me
Oh, my common one,
Oh, my illuminated one
Down by Avalon
Oh, my common one
Oh, my storytime one
Oh, my treasury in the sunset
Take a walk with me
And I will show you
It ain't why
It just is
Oh, my common one
With the light in the head
And the coat so old
Oh, my high in the art of sufferin' one
Oh, my common one
Take a walk with me
Down by Avalon
And I will show you
It ain't why
It just is.
Oh, my common one with the light in her head
And the coat so fine
And the sufferin' so high
All right now.
Oh, my common one
It ain't why
It just is
That's all
That's all there is about it.
It just is.
Can you feel the light?
I want to go to church and say.
In your soul
Ain't it high?
Oh, my common one
Oh, my story time one
Oh, my high in the art of sufferin' one
Put your head on my shoulder
And you listen to the silence.
Can you feel the silence?
Songwriters: Van Morrison

For those who have wandered far...
and now wish a return.

George you just need to listen more closely.
Peace can never found in our minds. Peace dwells in our hearts.

Is why peace of mind is found so seldom...We look for it in thought when in lives in emotions balanced
and in the excepting of one's fate.

Summer time in England is a stream of conciseness theme on England. her great men and spiritual influences and the reverberation of these men though out English History.

That a large part is sung in awe Mahala speaks to Van's personal influences.

"My high in the art of suffering one"


"To increase wisdom is to increase sorrow."

A Christian gains not only the joy of heaven, they share as I do in the divine tear as well. We weep with God at the folly of man. at our own constant propensity toward Sin.

We weep with him when a child is lost to us or when a good man or woman falls.

These are sorrows that cannot, should not be avoided. only shared among the faithful who turn always to god.

Beyond that I can only say that this song is spiritually high, very high.

You might have to struggle to gain it's summit. Here is that summit laid bear for us.

"Oh my high in the art of suffering one."

One who takes upon themselves the sufferings of this world. Then places them before God on our behalf.

"There is no deeper wave that this
I say love is the 7th wave."

My common one refers to a man or woman who live lives of complete humility.
They who walk humbly with their God. They who have suffered though their own faults. Then sacrificed them to gain peace with God.

It's a "No man stands taller than when he stoops to help a child." kind of thing.
Her suffering is so fine, because she suffers for us.

Refer to the Sufferings of the Christ to understand her.

Inclusion:

"Sometimes I think that boy has got no ears":O}

It's been 50 years,, over fifty years since I have even thought of this song. It seem to play non stop for an entire summer..



I was in grade school for Pete's sake!