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Van Morrison : Astral Weeks
1968


  1. Astral Weeks
  2. Beside You
  3. Sweet Thing
  4. Cyprus Avenue

  5. The Way Young Lovers Do
  6. Madame George
  7. Ballerina
  8. Slim Slow Slider

Astral Weeks

Capo:
II
G
C
G
C
If I ventured in the slipstream
G
C
Between the viaducts of your dream
G
C
Where immobile steel rims crack
G
C
And the ditch in the backroads stop
G
Em
G
Em
Could you find me? Would you kiss a-my eyes?
G
Em
G
Em
To lay me down, in silence, easy
G
C
G
C
To be born again, to be born again
G
C
From the far side of the ocean
G
C
If I put the wheels in motion
G
C
And I stand with my arms behind me
G
C
And I'm pushin' on the door
G
Em
G
Em
Could you find me? Would you kiss a-my eyes?
G
Em
G
Em
To lay me down, in silence, easy
G
C
G
C
To be born again, to be born again
G
C
G
C
There you go, standin' with the look of avarice
G
C
G
C
Talkin' to Huddie Ledbetter, showin' pictures on the wall
G
C
G
C
Whisperin' in the hall, and pointin' a finger at me
G
C
G
C
There you go, there you go, standin' in the sun, darlin'
G
C
G
C
With your arms behind you, and your eyes before
G
C
G
C
There you go, takin' good care of your boy
G
C
Seein' that he's got clean clothes
G
C
Puttin' on his little red shoes
G
C
I see you know he's got clean clothes
G
C
A-puttin' on his little red shoes
G
C
A-pointin' a finger at me
G
C
G
C
And here I am, standing in your sad arrest
G
C
Trying to do my very best
G
C
G
C
Lookin' straight at you, comin' through, darlin'
G
C
Yeah, yeah, yeah
G
C
If I ventured in the slipstream
G
C
Between the viaducts of your dream
G
C
Where immobile steel rims crack
G
C
And the ditch in the backroads stop
G
Em
G
Em
Could you find me? Would you kiss a-my eyes?
G
Em
G
Em
To lay me down, in silence, easy
G
C
G
C
To be born again, to be born again
G
C
To be born again
G
C
In another world, in another world
G
C
In another time, got a home on high
G
C
Ain't nothing but a stranger in this world
G
C
I'm nothing but a stranger in this world
G
C
G
C
I got a home on high, in another land
G
C
G
C
So far away, so far away
G
C
G
C
Way up in the Heaven, way up in the Heaven
G
C
G
C
Way up in the Heaven, way up in the Heaven
G
C
G
C
In another time, in another place
G
C
G
C
In another time, in another place
G
C
G
C
Way up in the Heaven, way up in the Heaven
G
C
G
C
We are goin' up to Heaven, we are goin' to Heaven
G
C
G
C
In another time, in another place
G
C
G
C
In another time, in another place
G
C
In another face...


Beside You

Intro
Em
D
Em
C
Em
Am
D
Verse 1
Em
D
Em
C
Little Jimmy's gone, away out of the backstreets
Em
Am
Out of the window, to the fog and rain
D
Right on time, right on time
Em
G
That's why broken Arrow, waved his finger down the road
Em
So dark and narrow, in the evening
C
D
Just before the Sunday six-bells chime, six-bells chime
Verse 2
Em
Bm
And all the dogs are barkin'
Em
C
Em
Way out on the diamond-studded highway, where you wander
Am
D
And you roam from your retreat, and view
Em
Bm
Way over on the railroad
Em
C
Em
Tomorrow all the tipping trucks will unload together
C
D
Every scrapbook stuck with glue
Chorus 1
Em
And I'll stand beside you
Bm
Em
C
Em
Am
Beside you, child
D
To never, never, never wonder why at all
G
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
C
G
To never, never, wonder why at all
Am
To never, never, to never, never wonder why
D
Em
It's gotta be, it has to be
Verse 3
Em
D
Way across the country, where the hillside mountain glide
Em
C
The dynamo of your smile
Em
Caressed the barefoot virgin child, to wander
Am
D
Past your window, with a lantern lit
Em
You held it in the doorway, and you kissed...
Bm
Against the pointed Island breeze
Em
C
Em
Said your time was open, go well, on your merry way
C
D
Past the brazen footsteps of the silence, easy You breathe in, you breathe out, you breathe in, you breathe out You breathe in, you breathe out, you breathe in, you breathe out
Verse 4
Em
Bm
And you're high... on your high-flyin' cloud
Em
C
Wrapped up in your magic shroud
Em
Am
D
As ecstasy surrounds you, this time it's found you You turn around, you turn around, you turn around, you turn around
Chorus 2
Em
Bm
Em
C
Em
Am
And I'm beside you, beside you
D
Oh darlin', to never, never, wonder why at all
G
No, no, no, no, no
C
G
To never, never wonder why at all
Am
D
Em
To never, never, never wonder why, it's gotta be, it has to be
Chorus 3
Em
Bm
Em
C
Em
Am
And I'll stand beside you, beside you, child
D
To never, never, never wonder why at all
Em
I'm beside you
Bm
Em
Em
Bm
Em
Em
Beside you, beside you, beside you, oh child


Sweet Thing

Capo:
II
Intro
D
Em
G
A6
x2
Verse 1
D
Em
G
A6
And I will stroll the merry way, and jump the hedges first
D
Em
G
A6
And I will drink the clear, clean water, for to quench my thirst
D
Em
G
A6
And I shall watch the ferry-boats, and they'll get high
D
Em
G
A6
On a bluer ocean, against tomorrow's sky
D
Em
G
A6
And I will never grow so old again
D
Em
G
A6
And I will walk and talk in gardens all wet with rain
Chorus 1
D
G
Oh... sweet thing, sweet thing
D
G
My, my, my, my, my sweet thing
Verse 2
D
Em
G
A6
And I shall drive my chariot down your streets and cry
D
Em
G
A6
"Hey, it's me, I'm dynamite, and I don't know why"
D
Em
G
A6
And you shall take me strongly in your arms, again
D
Em
G
A6
And I will not remember that I even felt the pain
D
Em
G
A6
We shall walk and talk in gardens all misty wet with rain
D
Em
G
A6
And I will never, never, never, grow so old again
Chorus 2:
D
G
Oh... sweet thing, sweet thing
D
G
My, my, my, my, my sweet thing
Verse 3
D
Em
G
A6
And I will raise my hand up into the night time sky
D
Em
G
A6
And count the stars that's shining in your eye
D
Em
G
A6
Just to dig it all and not to wonder, that's just fine
D
Em
G
A6
And I'll be satisfied not to read in between the lines
D
Em
G
A6
And I will walk and talk in gardens all wet with rain
D
Em
G
A6
And I will never, ever, ever, ever grow so old again
Chorus 3
D
G
Oh... sweet thing, sweet thing
D
G
Sugar-baby, with your champagne eyes
D
G
And your saintlike smile


Cyprus Avenue

Capo:
II
Intro
G
C
G
D
x2
Verse 1
G
C
G
C
G
And I'm caught one more time, up on Cyprus Avenue
C
G
C
G
Caught one more time, up on Cyprus Avenue
D
C
G
C
G
D
And I'm conquered in a car seat, not a thing that I can do
Verse 2
G
C
G
C
G
I may go crazy, before that mansion on the hill
C
G
C
G
I may go crazy, before that mansion on the hill
D
C
G
C
G
D
But my heart keeps beating faster, and my feet can't keep still
Verse 3
G
And all the little girls rhyme something
C
G
C
G
On the way back home from school
G
All the little girls rhyme something
C
G
C
G
On the way back home from school
D
And the leaves fall, one by one, by one, by one
C
G
C
G
D
Call the autumn time a fool
Verse 4
G
Yeah, baby my tongue gets tied
C
G
C
G
Every, every, every time I try to speak
C
Yeah baby, my tongue gets tied
G
C
G
Every, every, every time I try to speak
D
C
G
C
G
D
And my inside shakes, just like a leaf on a tree
Verse 5
G
I think I'll go walking by the railroad
C
G
C
G
By the rail road with my cherry, cherry wine
C
I believe I'll go walking by the railroad
G
C
G
With my cherry, cherry wine
D
If I pass the rumbling station
C
G
C
G
D
Where the lonesome engine drivers pine
D7
And wait a minute...
Verse 6
G
C
G
C
G
Yonder comes my lady, rainbow ribbons in her hair
C
G
C
G
Yonder comes my lady, rainbow ribbons in her hair
D
C
G
Six white horses and a carriage, just returning from the fair
C
G
D
Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, babe
Verse 7
G
Alone, I'm caught one more time
C
G
C
G
Way up on Cyprus Avenue, yes I am, yeah
C
G
C
G
I'm caught one more time, up on Cyprus Avenue, whoa
D
And I'm conquered in a car seat
C
G
C
G
D
And I'm looking straight at you
Coda
G
Way up on, way up on, way up on, the avenue of trees Keep walking down, in the wind and the rain, darling You keep walking down, when the sun shone through the trees Nobody, no, no, no, nobody stops me from loving you, baby So young and bold, fourteen years old Baby, baby, baby... ooh-wee...


The Way Young Lovers Do

Intro
Am
Verse 1
Am
We strolled through fields all wet with rain And back along the lane again
Dm
Am
There in the sunshine, in the sweet summertime
E7
Am
The way that young... lovers do
Verse 2
Am
I kissed you on the lips once more And we said goodbye at your front door
Dm
Am
In the nighttime, yeah, that's the right time
E7
Am
To feel the way that young... lovers do
Chorus 1
C
G
Then we sat on our own star
C
F
E
And dreamed of the way that we were, and the way that we wanted to be
C
G
Then we sat on our own star
C
F
E
And dreamed of the way that, I was for you and you were for me
Verse 3
Am
And then we danced the night away And turn into each other and say
Dm
Am
I love you, I love you
E7
Am
The way that young... lovers do
Chorus 2
C
G
Then we sat on our own star
C
F
E
And dreamed of the way that we were, and the way that we wanted to be
C
G
Then we sat on our own star
C
F
E
And dreamed of the way that, I was for you and you were for me
Verse 4
Am
Lovers do, lovers do
Dm
Doot doot doot, dooby do
Am
Dooby, dooby, dooby, dee
Outro
E7
Am


Madame George

Intro
G
C
D
x2
Verse 1
G
C
Down on Cyprus Avenue
D
G
C
With a childlike vision, leaping into view
D
G
Clicking, clacking of the high-heeled show
C
D
G
C
Ford and Fitzroy, Madame George
D
G
Marching with the soldier boy behind
C
D
G
He's much older now, with hat on, drinking wine
C
D
G
And that smell of sweet perfume comes drifting through
C
D
G
C
D
The cool night air like Shalimar
Verse 2
G
C
And outside they're making all the stops
D
G
The kids out in the street, collecting bottle tops
C
D
G
Gone for cigarettes and matches in the shops
C
D
G
C
D
Happy taken, Madame George
C
G
That's when you fall, whoa, that's when you fall Yeah, that's when you fall
Verse 3
G
When you fall into a trance
C
D
G
Sitting on a sofa, playing games of chance
C
D
G
With your folded arms and history books, you glance
C
D
G
C
D
Into the eyes of Madame George
Verse 4
G
And you think you found the bag
C
D
G
You're getting weaker and your knees begin to sag
C
D
G
In the corner, playing dominoes, in drag
C
D
G
C
D
The one and only, Madame George
Verse 5
G
And then from outside, the frosty window raps
C
D
She jumps up and says
G
Lord have mercy, I think that it's the cops
C
D
G
C
And immediately, drops everything she gots
D
G
C
D
Down into the street below
Verse 6
G
And you know you gotta go
C
D
G
On that train from Dublin, up to Sandy Row
C
D
G
Throwing pennies at the bridges down below
C
D
G
C
And the rain, hail, sleet, and snow
D
G
Say goodbye to Madame George
C
D
G
Dry your eye for Madame George
C
D
G
C
D
Wonder why for Madame George
Verse 7
G
And as you leave, the room is filled with music
C
D
G
Laughing, music, dancing music, all around the room
C
D
And all the little boys come around
G
C
D
G
C
D
Walking away from it all, so cold
G
And as you're about to leave
C
D
G
She jumps up and says, hey love, you forgot your gloves
C
D
And the love that loves, the love that loves, the love that loves
G
C
D
To love, the love, that loves to love
Coda
G
C
D
G
To say goodbye to Madame George, dry your eye for Madame George
C
D
G
C
D
G
Wonder why for Madame George, dry your eyes for Madame George
C
D
G
Say goodbye in the wind and the rain, on the back street
C
D
In the backstreet, in the back street
G
Say goodbye, say goodbye to Madame George
C
D
G
In the backstreet, in the back street, in the back street
C
D
G
Down home, down home, in the back street, gotta go
C
D
G
Say goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
C
D
G
Dry your eye, your eye, your eye, your eye, your eye
C
D
G
Say goodbye to Madame George
C
D
G
And the loves to love, to love, the love
C
D
G
Say goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
C
D
G
Ooh... mmm...
C
D
G
Say goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye to Madame George
C
D
G
C
D
G
Dry your eye for Madame George, wonder why for Madame George
C
D
G
The love's to love, the love's to love, the love's to love
C
D
G
C
Say goodbye, goodbye
D
G
C
D
G
Get on the train, get on the train, the train, the train
C
D
G
This is the train, this is the train
C
D
G
whoa, say goodbye, goodbye
C
D
G
Get on the train, get on the train...


Ballerina

Intro
G
Gsus4
G
Gsus4
Verse 1
G
D7
Spread your wings, come on fly awhile
C
G
Straight to my arms, oh, little angel child
D7
C
G
Gsus4
G
You know you're only, lonely twenty-two storey block
C
And if somebody, not just anybody
G
Wanted to get close to you, for instance, me, baby
D7
All you gotta do is ring the bell, step right up
G
Step right up, and step right up, ballerina
D7
G
Grab it, catch it, fly it, sigh it, try it
Verse 2
G
Well, I may be wrong
D7
But something deep in my heart, tells me I'm right and I don't think so
C
G
You know I saw the writing on the wall
D7
C
G
Gsus4
G
When you came up to me, child, you were heading for a fall
C
G
But if it gets to you, and you feel like you just can't go on
D7
All you gotta do is ring a bell, step right up And step right up, and step right up
G
Just like a ballerina, stepping lightly
Verse 3
G
Alright, well, it's getting late, yes it is, yes it is
D7
And this time I forget to slip into your slumber
C
G
The light is on the left side of your head
D7
And I'm standing in your doorway
C
And I'm mumbling and I can't remember
Gsus4
G
The last thing that ran through my head
C
G
Here come the man and he say, he say the show must go on
D7
So all you gotta do is ring the bell, and step right up and step right up
G
And step right up, just like a ballerina, yeah, yeah
D7
G
Crowd will catch you, fly it, sight it, c'mon, die it, yeah
D7
G
Just like a ballerina, just like a, just like a, just like a ballerina
D7
G
Get on up, get on up, keep a-moving on little bit higher, baby You know, you know, you know, get up baby
D7
G
Alright, a-keep on, a-keep on, a-keep on, a-keep on pushing
D7
G
Stepping lightly just like a ballerina
D7
G
Ooh-wee baby, take off your shoes, working on just like a ballerina


Slim Slow Slider

Verse 1
G
C
G
C
G
Slim Slow Slider, horse you ride, white as snow
C
G
C
G
Slim Slow Slider, horse you ride, is white as snow
C
G
C
G
Tell it everywhere you go
Verse 2
C
G
C
G
C
G
Saw you walking, down by the Ladbroke Grove, this morning
C
G
C
G
Saw you walking, down by the Ladbroke Grove, this morning
C
G
C
G
Catching pebbles for some sandy beach, you're out of reach
Verse 3
C
G
C
G
Saw you early this morning, with your brand new boy, and your Cadillac
C
G
C
G
Saw you early this morning, with your brand new boy, and your Cadillac
C
G
C
G
You're gone for something, and I know you won't be back
Verse 4
C
G
I know you're dying, baby, and I know you know it, too
C
I know you're dying, and I know you know it, too
G
Every time I see you, I just don't know what to do