Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison, OBE (generally known as Van Morrison or Van… Read Full Bio ↴Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison, OBE (generally known as Van Morrison or Van The Man) (born 31 August 1945) is a Grammy Award-winning artist from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He's a singer, songwriter, author, poet, and multi-instrumentalist, who has been a professional musician since 1958. He plays a variety of instruments, including the guitar, harmonica, keyboards, drums, and saxophone. Featuring his characteristic growl - a unique mix of folk, blues, Irish, scat, and Celtic influences - Morrison is widely considered one of the most unusual and influential vocalists in the history of rock and roll. He has received numerous music awards during his career, including six Grammy Awards (1996–2007); inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (January 1993), the Songwriters Hall of Fame (June 2003), and the Irish Music Hall of Fame (September 1999); and a Brit Award (February 1994).

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.

Daring Night
Van Morrison Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

In the daring night when all the
Stars are shining bright
Squeeze me don't leave me
In the daring night
Galactic swirl in the firmament tonight
Oh with the Lord of the Dance
With the Lord of the Dance
In the daring night

I see Orion and The Hunters
Standing by the light of the moon
In the daring night
In the daring night
And the heart and the soul
As we look up in awe and wonder at the heavens
Oh and we go with the Lord of the Dance
With the Lord of the Dance, the Lord of the Dance
In the daring night

In the daring night when all the stars are shining bright
Oh baby squeeze me, don't leave me, in the daring night
In the firmament we move, we move and we live
And we have our being
Squeeze me don't leave me, leave me in the daring night

In the firmament we move and galactic swirl
And we live and we breathe and have our being
Baby in the daring light
Darling squeeze me squeeze me
Don't ever leave me in the daring night
When all the stars are shining bright
And don't let go, and don't let go
Don't let go don't let go in the daring night
And we move and we move, and we move and we move
Baby don't let go in the daring night

In the daring night when all the stars are
Shining bright
Baby squeeze me don't leave me in the daring night
Capture it all oh with the Lord of the Dance
Oh with the Lord of the Dance in the daring night
With the Lord of the Dance in the daring night
With the lord of the dance and the great Goddess
Of the eternal wisdom
Standing by the light of the moon in the daring night

And the bodies move and we sweat
And have our being
Don't leave me in the daring night
In the daring night when all the stars are
Shining bright
Squeeze me don't leave me
Baby in the daring night

Squeeze me don't leave me
Baby in the daring night

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Daring Night" by Van Morrison suggest a sense of unity and awe of the cosmos: "galactic swirl in the firmament," "Orion and The Hunters standing by the light of the moon," "we look up in awe and wonder at the heavens." The song celebrates the power and beauty of the universe by using the symbol of dance. The Lord of the Dance is mentioned several times, and the dance is both a celebration and a meditation. The lyrics speak of bodies moving and sweating, suggesting that dance is a way to connect with the physical world and with oneself.

The refrain of "squeeze me don't leave me in the daring night" reinforces the idea of connection and unity. The daring night is a time of great possibility, where the stars are shining bright and anything can happen. The call to "squeeze me" suggests a need for physical contact, a way to ground oneself in the present moment and connect with others. The song ends with a reference to the "great Goddess of the eternal wisdom," which adds a spiritual dimension to the celebration of the cosmos.

Overall, "Daring Night" is a song about celebrating life and the cosmos, and finding connection with oneself and others through dance and physical contact.

Line by Line Meaning

In the daring night when all the Stars are shining bright
It's a beautiful night, with the stars shining bright

Squeeze me don't leave me In the daring night
Stay with me, hold me tight in this beautiful night

Galactic swirl in the firmament tonight Oh with the Lord of the Dance With the Lord of the Dance In the daring night
Watching the galaxies move in wonder, with a feel of being blessed by the divine creator of the universe in this beautiful night

I see Orion and The Hunters Standing by the light of the moon In the daring night In the daring night
Looking at the magnificent Orion and his band standing under the moonlight, in this beautiful night

And the heart and the soul As we look up in awe and wonder at the heavens Oh and we go with the Lord of the Dance With the Lord of the Dance, the Lord of the Dance In the daring night
Our hearts and souls filled with admiration as we witness the beauty of the skies while being accompanied by the divine presence of the creator himself in this beautiful night

In the firmament we move, we move and we live And we have our being Squeeze me don't leave me, leave me in the daring night
We feel the power of the universe surrounded by its motion and vibrancy, holding onto each other in this beautiful night

In the firmament we move and galactic swirl And we live and we breathe and have our being Baby in the daring light Darling squeeze me squeeze me Don't ever leave me in the daring night
As we witness the cosmic movements, we realize that we are alive, and we are here to feel the miracle, all complemented by our love in this beautiful night

When all the stars are shining bright And don't let go, and don't let go Don't let go don't let go in the daring night And we move and we move, and we move and we move Baby don't let go in the daring night
We shouldn't let go of each other's love and companionship, as we relish the night full of stars and magic in this beautiful night

Capture it all oh with the Lord of the Dance Oh with the Lord of the Dance in the daring night With the Lord of the Dance in the daring night With the lord of the dance and the great Goddess Of the eternal wisdom Standing by the light of the moon in the daring night
We should cherish the night with the divine creator of the universe, and the eternal goddess of wisdom, witnessing the glory of the cosmos and the magic of true love indescribable in this beautiful night

And the bodies move and we sweat And have our being Don't leave me in the daring night In the daring night when all the stars are Shining bright
We move our bodies in joy and celebration, feeling alive, and confessing our love to each other in this beautiful night

Squeeze me don't leave me Baby in the daring night
Hold my hand tight, never let me go in this beautiful night

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: VAN MORRISON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS