Summertime in England
Van Morrison
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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?
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Written by: VAN MORRISON
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
15 facts about this song
Song Context"Summertime in England" is a semi-epic track that appeared on Van Morrison’s 1980 album, "Common One".
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Song DurationNotable for its length, "Summertime in England" runs for just over 15 minutes, making it one of Morrison's lengthiest studio recordings.
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Song InspirationThe song's lyrics reveal Morrison's knowledge of English literature, including references to William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and W. B. Yeats.
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Song TechniqueThe song employs stream-of-consciousness lyrics which makes it somewhat unique.
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Cover VersionsCanadian artist Adam Cohen covered "Summertime in England" on the 1992 tribute album "No Prima Donna: The Songs of Van Morrison".
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Song ReactionInitially, it was considered too long and self-indulgent by critics, but has since become a fan favorite.
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Live PerformancesDespite its length, Morrison often included "Summertime in England" in his concert repertoire.
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Song ThemeIt's a meditation on the peacemaking and calming power of nature, exploring English landscapes and romantic poetry.
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Peculiar FactAt the end of the song, Morrison recites the names of various artists as if in prayer.
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Featured ArtistsMusicians who contributed to this track include Mark Isham on trumpet, David Hayes on bass, John Allair on keyboard, and Peter Van Hooke on drums.
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Lyrics AnalysisThe lyrics are a bit slangy and contemplative, incorporating both jazz and gospel techniques.
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Song Structure"Summertime in England" lacks a traditional pop music structure with verse-chorus-verse. Instead, it is more of a continuous narrative.
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Album ContextThe song fits into the overall theme of its parent album, "Common One," which is often categorised as one of the most spiritual and experimental albums in Van Morrison’s discography.
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Song MusicianshipMany critics do laud the musianship on "Summertime in England," noting the improvisational aspect of the song.
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Notable MentionGreil Marcus, an American author and cultural critic, praised "Summertime in England," calling it the most daring track Morrison ever wrote and recorded.
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Citation
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