The early Waterboys sound was dubbed "The Big Music" after a song on their second album, A Pagan Place. This musical style was described by Scott as "a metaphor for seeing God's signature in the world."[4] It either influenced or was used to describe a number of other bands, including Simple Minds, The Alarm, In Tua Nua, Big Country, the Hothouse Flowers[5] and World Party, the last of which was made up of former Waterboys members.[6] In the late 1980s the band became significantly more folk influenced. The Waterboys eventually returned to rock and roll, and have released both rock and folk albums since reforming. Their songs, largely written by Scott, often contain literary references and are frequently concerned with spirituality. Both the group and its members' solo careers have received much praise from both rock and folk music critics, but The Waterboys as a band has never received the commercial success that some of its members have had independently. Aside from World Party, The Waterboys have also influenced musicians such as Eddie Vedder, Johnny Goudie, Colin Meloy of The Decemberists,[7] Grant Nicholas of Feeder,[8] James Marshall Owen,[9] and Miles Hunt of The Wonder Stuff.[10] Both Bono[11] and The Edge[12] from U2 ,Jonny Greenwood from Radiohead are fans of the band.Jonny Greenwood tweets on the waterboys "what a great band. something special about how he plays piano too - see them if you can."
Sweet Thing
Waterboys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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 blue ocean, against tomorrow's sky
And I will walk and talk in gardens all wet with rain
and I will never grow so old again
Oh sweet thing, sweet thing
my, my, my, my, my sweet thing
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 blue ocean against tomorrow's sky
And I will walk and talk in gardens all wet with rain
and never ever ever ever ever get so old again
Ooh...
sweet thing
My my my...
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 warm in your arms again
and I will not remember that I ever felt the pain
And I will walk and talk in gardens all wet with rain
and never ever ever ever ever get so old again
Ooh
sweet thing
Yeah yeah yeah...
sweet thing
My my my...
And I will raise my hand up into the night time sky
and count the stars there shining in your eyes
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 never ever ever ever ever get so old again
Sugar-baby with your champagne eyes
and your saint-like smile....
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take this broken wing and learn to fly
all your life you were just waiting for this moment to arrive
Blackbird singing in the dead of night
take your sunken eyes, learn to see
All your life you were only waiting for this moment to be free...
The Waterboys' "Sweet Thing" is essentially a love song that urges the listener to embrace the beauty and joy of life. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of someone who is determined to live life to the fullest, free from the constraints of age or convention. The opening lines, "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," suggest a sense of adventure and a willingness to explore the world with a sense of wonder and curiosity.
As the song progresses, the focus shifts to the love interest, with the singer declaring, "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 warm in your arms again / And I will not remember that I ever felt the pain." This passage illustrates both the passion and the vulnerability that are inherent in many romantic relationships.
The final stanza of the song introduces a metaphor involving a blackbird singing in the dead of night. The lines "Take this broken wing and learn to fly / all your life you were just waiting for this moment to arrive / Blackbird singing in the dead of night / take your sunken eyes, learn to see / All your life you were only waiting for this moment to be free" suggest that even in the darkest moments, there is hope for redemption and a renewed sense of purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
And I will stroll the merry way and jump the hedges first
I will enjoy myself, taking the fun way and going first.
and I will drink the clear clean water for to quench my thirst
I will drink pure water to satisfy my thirst.
And I shall watch the ferry-boats and they'll get high on a blue ocean, against tomorrow's sky
I will watch the boats sail on the ocean and rise high under the blue sky of the next day.
And I will walk and talk in gardens all wet with rain, and I will never grow so old again
I will walk and talk in wet gardens and forget about growing old.
Oh sweet thing, sweet thing, my, my, my, my, my sweet thing
You are so sweet, 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
I will drive my chariot down your street and cry, telling the world I'm dynamite even if I don't know why.
And you shall take me warm in your arms again, and I will not remember that I ever felt the pain
You will take me in your arms and I will forget about the pain I once felt.
And I will raise my hand up into the night time sky and count the stars there shining in your eyes
I will raise my hand into the sky and count the stars shining in your eyes.
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
I will enjoy everything and not worry about details. I'll be fine without reading between the lines.
Sugar-baby with your champagne eyes and your saint-like smile
You, my dear, have lovely eyes and a saintly smile.
Blackbird singing in the dead of night, blackbird singing in the dead of night
A blackbird sings in the dead of night - twice to emphasize the image.
Take this broken wing and learn to fly, all your life you were just waiting for this moment to arrive
Take this broken wing and learn to fly. You've waited your whole life for this opportunity.
Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take your sunken eyes, learn to see
A blackbird sings in the dead of night. Take your sunken eyes and learn to see.
All your life you were only waiting for this moment to be free...
You've been waiting all your life for this moment to be free.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Van Morrison
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@patrickm62nov
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
@MrEddieo1
We played Van's version as my son lay dying in the hospital. He passed that day and this song I listen too from time to time, makes me cry. I love your version too. Thx.
@FishermansBluesHQ
I'm deeply sorry to read of his passing
@MrEddieo1
@@FishermansBluesHQ Thanks for that. He died in August 2015. Still hurts every day.
@damiano-ur3hh
❤
@HovisOats
I can't imagine the pain you felt that day and everyday since, I hope you have atleast found peace in the years since. For what it's worth, my heart goes out to you and your family.
You son is at peace and lives on forever in this music.
"And I will never, ever, ever, ever grow so old again"
@hem1934
Who writes lyrics like this anymore...."just to dig it all and not to wonder why..." There's no better summation of why understanding is not all there is. Brilliant songwriter; wonderful homage to a brilliant songwriter.
@carolstrachan4197
Wade.... It was Van Morrison who wrote this song. 1968.
@carolstrachan4197
Yeah, Van Morrison did!
@ashmorgan4528
And the Beatles, since it’s a medley…
@Anonymous-km5pj
"and i will never ever ever ever get so old again...."
God love u from commie Canada, for now anyways 🤣🤣🤣