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.
I'm Tired Joey Boy
Van Morrison Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
While you're out with the sheep
My life is so troubled
Now I can't go to sleep
I would walk myself out
But the streets are so dark
I shall wait till the morning
And walk in the park
This life is so simple when
One is at home
And I'm never complaining
When there's work to be done
Oh I'm tired Joey Boy of the makings of men
I would like to be cheerful again
Ambition will take you
And ride you too far and
Conservatism bring you to boredom once more
Sit down by the river
And watch the stream flow
Recall all the dreams
That you once used to know
The things you've forgotten
That took you away
To pastures not greener but meaner
Love of the simple is all that I need
I've no time for schism or lovers of greed
Go up to the mountain, go up to the glen
When silence will touch you
And heartbreak will mend.
In Van Morrison's song "I'm Tired Joey Boy," the singer expresses his weariness for the "makings of men." He envies the simplicity of life at home and yearns to be happy again. He admits that ambition can lead people to push themselves too far and conservatism can lead to boredom. The singer suggests taking a break from the hustle and bustle of life and sitting by a river to watch the stream flow. While sitting in solitude, he advises recalling the dreams that were once forgotten. The singer acknowledges that these dreams may have taken him to places that were not greener but meaner in reality. However, he believes that the love of the simple things in life is all he needs, and he has no time for schism or lovers of greed. Finally, the singer advises going up to the mountain or glen for solitude, after which silence will touch and heartbreak will mend.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm tired Joey Boy
I'm exhausted, Joey Boy.
While you're out with the sheep
While you're out having fun and being carefree.
My life is so troubled
I'm facing many struggles in my life.
Now I can't go to sleep
I'm so troubled that I can't even sleep.
I would walk myself out
I'd like to go out for a walk.
But the streets are so dark
But it's too dark outside to walk safely.
I shall wait till the morning
I'll wait until it's light out to go for a walk.
And walk in the park
I'll go for a walk in the park.
This life is so simple when
Life is easier when
One is at home
You're at home.
And I'm never complaining
I'm not one to complain.
When there's work to be done
Even when there's work to be done.
Oh I'm tired Joey Boy of the makings of men
I'm exhausted, Joey Boy, of the ways of men.
I would like to be cheerful again
I would like to be happy again.
Ambition will take you
Being too ambitious will consume you.
And ride you too far and
And take you too far.
Conservatism bring you to boredom once more
Being too conservative will lead to boredom again.
Sit down by the river
Take a seat by the river.
And watch the stream flow
And watch the water flowing.
Recall all the dreams
Remember all of your dreams.
That you once used to know
That you used to be familiar with.
The things you've forgotten
The things you've lost track of.
That took you away
That once distracted you.
To pastures not greener but meaner
To places that weren't better and may have been worse.
Love of the simple is all that I need
I only need to appreciate the simple things in life.
I've no time for schism or lovers of greed
I don't have time for arguments or people who are greedy.
Go up to the mountain, go up to the glen
Go to the mountain or the glen.
When silence will touch you
When quietness will have an effect on you.
And heartbreak will mend.
And when you will finally mend your broken heart.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: VAN MORRISON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind