Van Morrison
Ancient Highway
[Verse 1]
There's a small cafe on the outskirts of town
I'll be there when the sun goes down
Where the roadside bends
And it twists and it turns
Every new generation
And I'll be praying to my higher self
Don't let me down, keep my feet on the ground
[Verse 2]
There's a roadside jam playin' on the edge of the town
In a town called Paradise near the ancient highway
When the train whistle blows
All the sadness that Hank Williams knows
And the river flows
Call them pagan streams and it spins and it turns
In a factory in a street called Bread in East Belfast
Where Georgie knows best
What it's like to be Daniel in the lion's den
Got so many friends only most of the time
[Verse 3]
And when the grass is high and the rabbit runs
Though it's talkin' to you and I
And every new generation comes to pay
The dues of the organ grinder jam
And the grinder's switch of the sacrifice
Everybody made to be rational with understanding
And I'll be praying to my higher self
Oh, don't let me down, keep my feet on the ground
[Verse 4]
And what about all the people living in the nightmare hurt
That won't go away no matter how hard they try?
They've got to pay time and time again, time and time again
I'll be praying to my higher self
And I'll be standin' there, where the boats go by
When the sun is sinking way over the hill
On a Friday evening when the sun goes down
On the outskirts of town, I wanna slip away
I wanna slip away, got to get away
And I'll be praying to my higher self
Don't let me down, keep my feet on the ground
Don't let me down
[Verse 5]
You'll be cryin' again, you'll be cryin' again, you'll be cryin' again
By the same wipe the teardrops from your eyes
Have to slip away in the evening when the sun goes down
Over the hill, with a sense of wonder
Everything's gonna be right on a Friday evening
All the cars go by all along down the ancient highway
And I'll be praying, I'll be praying to my higher self
Don't let me down, keep my feet, keep my feet on the ground
Keep my feet on the ground
[Verse 6]
Travelling like a stranger in the night, all along the ancient highway
Got you in my sights, got you on my mind
I'll be praying in the evening when the sun goes down
Over the mountain, got to get you right in my sight
As the beams from the cars from the overpass
On the ancient highway shine like diamonds in the night
Diamonds in the night
I'll be praying to my higher self, to my higher self
Don't let me down, don't let me down
[Organ Solo]
[Verse 7]
And you'll be standing there while the boats go by
While the boats go by on a Friday evening
Shining your light, shining your light on a Friday evening
Got to slip away, got to slip away down that ancient highway
In a town called Paradise, in a town, in a town
All along, all along that road, all along that road
All along that road with the trancelike vision
Something like the trancelike, the trancelike vision on my mind, on my mind
I'll be praying to my higher self, don't let me down, don't let me down
Keep my feet on the ground, keep my feet on the ground
Keep my feet on the ground
[Verse 8]
And on that Friday evening I got to slip away
Watching the view from a car from the overpass
And we're driving down that ancient road
Shining like diamonds in the night, oh diamonds in the night
All along the ancient highway
Got you in my sight, got you in my mind
Got you in my arms and I'm praying, and I'm gonna pray
I'm gonna pray to my higher self, don't, ah, don't let me down
Ah, don't let me down, give me the fire, ah, give me the fire