And They Stood Upon The Lawn ...

Every time I take two steps forward ... Sarcastic, exasperated, down right pissed off. Van turns it into an atmospheric classic.  And if you liked the original, the guitar heavy Neil Young infused live version from 2013 is utterly spectacular. I end up having to take three back ...

Like a child within the kingdom ... A perfect moment captured in song, the worshipful nature of love and the clarity such depth of feeling can bring.   Oh the warm feeling as we sat beside the sea Oh the warm feeling as I sat beside you Like a child within the kingdom As we sat beside the sea Oh the warm feeling as I sat beside you And it filled with devotion And it made me plainly see And it healed all my emotions As I sat beside you As we sat inside the sunshine And we sat beside the sea Oh the warm feeling as I sat beside you And it filled me with religion And it gave great comfort to me Oh the warm feeling as I sat beside you Oh the warm feeling as we sat beside the sea Oh the warm feeling as I sat beside you

And I turned to you and I said ... Just you and I. In the garden. Wet with rain. You and me.  A girl with her father and mother in their garden. Jesus in Gethsemane. Coming back home and sitting in the garden with Mum and Dad. Resurrection, with the key to your soul and you did open. Born again by your beloved's touch.  And I turned to you and I said ... No guru, no method, no teacher ...

After all we're only human ... More of a spell than song with so many incantations, souls enraptured, heavenly songs, of being in the garden, wet with rain and golden autumn days. The natural, mythical and spiritual woven together to form a tapestry which transports the listener away from the temporal. The delicate instrumentation at once embellishes the story and heightens the vision.   Van references freedom from attachment as the means to enlightenment and a release from the cycle of life and death but despite that being a life long pursuit he would rather come back to a suffering existence, if it meant that he and his love could be together. A love he believes they have experienced many times before such is its depth. A love that has the power to rejuvenate old souls. A love worth turning away from the eternal presence to experience once again.  Only Van. Breathe it in. We were standing in the kingdom And we stood by the mansion gate We stood e...