Known as "Van the Man" by his fans, Morrison first rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Northern Irish band Them, writing their 1964 hit "Gloria". A few years later, Morrison left the band for a successful solo career, starting with the album Astral Weeks.
Morrison has pursued an idiosyncratic musical path. Much of his music is tightly structured around the conventions of American soul and R&B, such as the popular singles "Brown Eyed Girl", "Moondance", "Domino", and "Wild Night". An equal part of his catalogue consists of lengthy, loosely connected, spiritually inspired musical journeys that show the influence of Celtic tradition, jazz, and stream-of-consciousness narrative, such as his classic album Astral Weeks and lesser known works such as Veedon Fleece and Common One. The two strains together are sometimes referred to as "Celtic Soul," and Morrison rejects the characterization of his genre of music as Rock, citing Elvis Presley as a non-influence.
He continues to perform regularly and achieved his highest U.S. chart position (number ten on the Billboard 200) with his 2008 album, Keep It Simple.
07. Sweet Thing
Van Morrison Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And jump the hedges first
And I will drink the clear
Clean water for to quench my thirst
And I shall watch the ferry-boats
And they'll get high
On a bluer ocean
Against tomorrow's sky
And I will walk and talk
In gardens all wet with rain
Oh sweet thing, sweet thing
My, my, my, my, my sweet thing
And I shall drive my chariot
Down your streets and cry
Hey, it's me, I'm dynamite
And I don't know why'
And you shall take me strongly
In your arms again
And I will not remember
That I even felt the pain.
We shall walk and talk
In gardens all misty and wet with rain
And I will never, never, never
Grow so old again.
Oh sweet thing, sweet thing
My, my, my, my, my sweet thing
And I will raise my hand up
Into the night time sky
And count the stars
That's shining in your eye
Just to dig it all an' not to wonder
That's just fine
And I'll be satisfied
Not to read in between the lines
And I will walk and talk
In gardens all wet with rain
And I will never, ever, ever, ever
Grow so old again.
Oh sweet thing, sweet thing
Sugar-baby with your champagne eyes
And your saint-like smile
The lyrics of Van Morrison's song "Sweet Thing" express a sense of freedom and joy. The singer describes their plans to roam the world, drink clean water, watch ferry boats, and drive their chariot down the streets. They express an eagerness to forget past pains and fears of growing old. Instead, they plan to embrace the present, walking and talking in gardens wet with rain. The singer seems to be addressing a lover, whom they call "sweet thing" and "sugar-baby." They describe the lover's "champagne eyes" and "saint-like smile," suggesting that they are pure and beautiful.
Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of pure, unbridled joy and an embrace of life's simple pleasures. The imagery of gardens wet with rain and starry skies suggests a romantic, mystical quality to the singer's experiences. At the same time, the mention of the ferry boats and chariot driving suggests a desire for adventure and excitement. The repetition of the phrase "sweet thing" emphasizes the singer's affection towards their lover and reinforces the joyous tone of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
And I will stroll the merry way
I will happily wander around
And jump the hedges first
I will take the bold and adventurous route
And I will drink the clear
I will drink the purest
Clean water for to quench my thirst
water to quench my thirst
And I shall watch the ferry-boats
I will observe the boats that carry people
And they'll get high
They will rise
On a bluer ocean
On a clearer sea
Against tomorrow's sky
Against the sky of tomorrow
And I will never grow so old again
I will never grow as old as I am now
And I will walk and talk
And I will walk and talk
In gardens all wet with rain
In wet gardens
Oh sweet thing, sweet thing
Oh love, oh love
My, my, my, my, my sweet thing
My darling
And I shall drive my chariot
I will move forward in my life
Down your streets and cry
Down your streets, I will shout
Hey, it's me, I'm dynamite
It's me, and I am strong and bold
And I don't know why'
Although I do not know the reason
And you shall take me strongly
And you will hold me tightly
In your arms again
In your arms, once again
And I will not remember
I will forget
That I even felt the pain.
That I have ever even felt the pain
We shall walk and talk
We will walk and talk
In gardens all misty and wet with rain
In misty, wet gardens
And I will never, never, never
I will never, ever
Grow so old again.
Grow as old as I am now, again
Oh sweet thing, sweet thing
Oh love, oh love
My, my, my, my, my sweet thing
My darling
And I will raise my hand up
I will lift my hand
Into the night time sky
Into the dark sky of night
And count the stars
And count the shining stars
That's shining in your eye
That are reflected in your eyes
Just to dig it all an' not to wonder
Just to enjoy the moment without overthinking
That's just fine
That is perfectly fine
And I'll be satisfied
And I will be content
Not to read in between the lines
Not to try to interpret hidden meanings
And I will walk and talk
And I will walk and talk
In gardens all wet with rain
In wet gardens
And I will never, ever, ever, ever
I will never,ever
Grow so old again.
Grow as old as I am now, again
Oh sweet thing, sweet thing
Oh love, oh love
Sugar-baby with your champagne eyes
My lover with your sparkling eyes
And your saint-like smile
And your innocent, gentle smile
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: VAN MORRISON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anshu Dhamiwal
And I will stroll the merry way
And jump the hedges first
And I will drink the clear
Clean water for to quench my thirst
And I shall watch the ferry-boats
And they'll get high
On a bluer ocean
Against tomorrow's sky
And I will never grow so old again
And I will walk and talk
In gardens all wet with rain
Oh sweet thing, sweet thing
My, my, my, my, my sweet thing
And I shall drive my chariot
Down your streets and cry
'Hey, it's me, I'm dynamite
And I don't know why'
And you shall take me strongly
In your arms again
And I will not remember
That I even felt the pain.
We shall walk and talk
In gardens all misty and wet with rain
And I will never, never, never
Grow so old again.
Oh sweet thing, sweet thing
My, my, my, my, my sweet thing
And I will raise my hand up
Into the night time sky
And count the stars
That's shining in your eye
Just to dig it all an' not to wonder
That's just fine
And I'll be satisfied
Not to read in between the lines
And I will walk and talk
In gardens all wet with rain
And I will never, ever, ever, ever
Grow so old again.
Oh sweet thing, sweet thing
Sugar-baby with your champagne eyes
And your saint-like smile....
Jirusama
And I will stroll the merry way
And jump the hedges first
And I will drink the clear
Clean water for to quench my thirst
And I shall watch the ferry-boats
And they'll get high
On a bluer ocean
Against tomorrow's sky
And I will never grow so old again
And I will walk and talk
In gardens all wet with rain
[Chorus 1]
Oh sweet thing, sweet thing, sweet thing
Oh my, my, my, my, my sweet thing
[Verse 2]
And I shall drive my chariot
Down your streets and cry
Hey, it's me, I'm dynamite
And I don't know why
And you shall take me strongly
In your arms again
And I will not remember
That I ever felt the pain
We shall walk and talk
In gardens all misty wet, all misty wet with rain down
And I will never, never, never
Grow so old again
[Chorus 2]
Oh you sweet thing
Oh you sweet thing, sweet thing
My, my, my, my, my
[Verse 3]
And I will raise my hand up
Into the night time sky
And count the stars
That's shining in your eye
And just to dig it all an' not to wonder
That's just fine
And I'll be satisfied
Not to read in between the lines
And I will walk and talk
In gardens all wet with rain
And I will never, ever, ever, ever
Grow so old again
[Outro]
Oh sweet thing
Oh sugar-baby
Oh sweet thing
Sugar-baby, sugar-baby, sugar-baby
With your champagne eyes
And your saint-like smile
Kristina Simcox
This will always be my favorite Van Morrison song. I can't even explain how it makes me feel. It's like summer, romance and warm memories all in one melody.
Brett Horner
It’s a great song. Love how it makes my mood better
K Hay
Same
Jake Coker
Very well said ma’am.
DITTO MAGIC
Ya little work involved. 🤭
BreatheLookInBreatheLookOut BeyondWordsUnity
Gavin Bong ... all i know is that
...(well may i add that i do not Know)
From where afield were the Water that slaked the Thirst and Parcherd
Throat of The Belfast Bard
Transported from.....?
Anshu Dhamiwal
And I will stroll the merry way
And jump the hedges first
And I will drink the clear
Clean water for to quench my thirst
And I shall watch the ferry-boats
And they'll get high
On a bluer ocean
Against tomorrow's sky
And I will never grow so old again
And I will walk and talk
In gardens all wet with rain
Oh sweet thing, sweet thing
My, my, my, my, my sweet thing
And I shall drive my chariot
Down your streets and cry
'Hey, it's me, I'm dynamite
And I don't know why'
And you shall take me strongly
In your arms again
And I will not remember
That I even felt the pain.
We shall walk and talk
In gardens all misty and wet with rain
And I will never, never, never
Grow so old again.
Oh sweet thing, sweet thing
My, my, my, my, my sweet thing
And I will raise my hand up
Into the night time sky
And count the stars
That's shining in your eye
Just to dig it all an' not to wonder
That's just fine
And I'll be satisfied
Not to read in between the lines
And I will walk and talk
In gardens all wet with rain
And I will never, ever, ever, ever
Grow so old again.
Oh sweet thing, sweet thing
Sugar-baby with your champagne eyes
And your saint-like smile....
Robert Grunwald
Is it not “And I shall watch the ferry-boats and (then) I’ll get high…”??
Gen Spiegel
Anshu Dhamiwal ..beautiful poetry💜
Lucca Dennehy
Vantastic