Ancient Highway

"Shining like diamonds in the night ..."

I'm not sure there is another song in Van's entire canon that allows such insight into his world as this one.  When he says that his music contains the answers to the questions journalists ask him they could do worse than start here. Solitude and separation.  The fight against the ego.  The untrustworthiness of those who claim friendship.  The struggle between rationalism and the sensual world. A desire for escape and obscurity. 

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 turns

Every new generation

And I'll be praying to my higher self

Don't let me down, keep my feet on the ground

There's a roadside jam playin' on the edge of 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 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

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

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 want to slip away

I want to 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

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 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

Traveling 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 on the cars from the overpass

On the ancient highway shine like diamonds in the night

Like 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

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 trance like vision

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

Friday evening 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, ah don't let me down

Don't let me down, give me the fire, ah give me the fire.

"Give me the fire ..."