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.
Baby
Van Morrison Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know you ain't gonna like it,
But I'm stepping right out in your world
For I'm coming to your party
And I won't be able to stay,
But I'm gonna kiss you one more time, Lord,
Then I'm going away.
Goodbye baby hmm, baby goodbye hmm.
You may be lonely, yeah, you may be hurt,
Like a fool I gave you candy,
You turned around and treated me like dirt.
But still I'm gonna come to your party
And just before the break of day
I'm gonna touch you one more time, Lord,
Then I'm going away.
Sing it to me again
Goodbye baby hmm ha, baby goodbye.
Look out, what you see?
I see a train a-coming,
A train a-coming down the long lonesome track.
I'll tell you, girl, I gotta go on home now,
But deep down in your heart
You know that someday I'm, I'm coming back
And I'm gonna look for you at your party,
'Cause all the time I know that I'll find you there
And listen, I'm gonna dance with you
One more time, oh yeah.
Sing it to me tonight now
Goodbye baby, sing it sweet baby goodbye.
Lord, you're singing so sweet tonight goodbye baby
Goodbye baby baby baby baby goodbye
I'll see you around sometime, Lord goodbye baby...
The lyrics to Van Morrison's "Baby, Goodbye" convey the mixed feelings of a person who is leaving a relationship, yet still harboring feelings for the other person. The singer addresses his departing lover as "baby" and "girl," suggesting a familiarity and closeness between them, but acknowledges that he has to leave her world. He explains that he's going to her party, but won't be able to stay, indicating that he wants to spend one last moment with her. The lines "But still I'm gonna come to your party / And just before the break of day / I'm gonna touch you one more time, Lord / Then I'm going away" reveal that the singer knows he needs to leave, but cannot resist the temptation to see her one last time.
The second verse of the song adds context to the singer's decision to leave. He suggests that he gave the woman candy, but she treated him poorly in return, which indicates that she may have taken advantage of his kindness. However, he still wants to say goodbye, indicating that he still has some affection for her. The final verse suggests that the singer is taking a train away from the woman, but still plans to return to her one day. He believes that he'll find her at her party and dance with her one more time. Overall, the lyrics to "Baby, Goodbye" convey a sense of longing and sadness mixed with hope for a possible reunion.
Line by Line Meaning
Goodbye baby, so long girl.
The singer is departing from the girl and saying goodbye to her.
I know you ain't gonna like it,
The singer understands that the girl will not be pleased with their departure.
But I'm stepping right out in your world
The singer is leaving their own world and stepping into the girl's world.
For I'm coming to your party
The artist is going to the girl's party.
And I won't be able to stay,
The artist will only be present at the party for a short amount of time.
But I'm gonna kiss you one more time, Lord,
The singer is giving the girl one final kiss to say goodbye.
Then I'm going away.
The singer is leaving the girl's world and going away.
You may be lonely, yeah, you may be hurt,
The artist acknowledges that the girl may feel lonely or hurt without them.
Like a fool I gave you candy,
The artist gave the girl something (like candy) that they regret giving her.
You turned around and treated me like dirt.
The girl didn't treat the artist kindly in return.
But still I'm gonna come to your party
Despite the negative treatment, the singer is still attending the girl's party.
And just before the break of day
The artist is leaving the party when it is about to turn into day.
I'm gonna touch you one more time, Lord,
The singer will give the girl one final touch before leaving the party.
Then I'm going away.
The singer is leaving the girl's world and going away.
Look out, what you see?
The singer is asking the girl what she sees.
I see a train a-coming,
The girl sees a train approaching, symbolizing the artist's departure.
A train a-coming down the long lonesome track.
The train represents the artist leaving the girl and traveling on a long, lonely journey.
I'll tell you, girl, I gotta go on home now,
The singer tells the girl that they have to go home now.
But deep down in your heart
Despite leaving, the singer believes the girl knows they will return someday.
You know that someday I'm, I'm coming back
The artist tells the girl that they will return someday.
And I'm gonna look for you at your party,
When the artist returns, they plan to look for the girl at her party.
'Cause all the time I know that I'll find you there
The artist is confident that the girl will be at the party when they return.
And listen, I'm gonna dance with you
The singer tells the girl that they will dance together when they return.
One more time, oh yeah.
The artist is looking forward to dancing with the girl one more time when they return.
I'll see you around sometime, Lord goodbye baby...
The singer says goodbye to the girl, while also leaving the possibility of meeting again in the future.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BERT RUSSELL, WES FARRELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
norman bell
Always loved the energy of this track
Ale Cer
The pulp of Rock and roll in a song. Great!!!!
John Slomski
He is soul through and through, you don't get more CLASSIC than this tune !!
Chris Miller
The harmonica break on this song is brilliant.
Compliments his voice perfectly.
Catherine Elizabeth Hallahan
Van Morrison is such a good singer!! Really like some of his songs!! :-)
Javier Escalante
As my casket is going down the hole, I want this playing at my funeral!!
David Simpson
Van Morrison is my absolute musical hero....ireland has given us a total legend.
nick260682
He's British
Joe Wyatt
Kinda. He's from Northern Ireland, so he's from the Irish part of the UK but he's not really British because he's not from Britain.
nick260682
You're either from UK or Ireland. He's from the UK - the Northern Ireland region of the U.K. to be specific. Not to be confused with the Ireland the country. Therefore he's British.
He may not want to be British but that's neither here nor there.