Tupelo Honey

Well you know sometimes it gets so hard
And everything don't seem to rhyme
I take a walk out in my backyard and go
Do do loo do do, do do loo do do

Waiting for the sun to shine
And you know sometimes it gets so painful
Just like talking to yourself
When everything don't seem to have no rhyme or reason we all go
Do do loo do do, do do loo do do
Waiting for the sun to shine

We move along
Keep singing our song
Straight to your heart like a cannonball
La la ti da, la la ti da...
Doo do loo do do.....
Waiting for the sun to shine

Well you know, everyday we hear it through the grapevine
That's why i'm so tired of hearing it through the grapevine anymore
Because you hear it through the grapevine
It's just a dirty rotten waste of time, we go
Do do loo do do
While waiting for the sun to shine

We move along
Keeping singing our song
Straight to your heart like a cannonball
La la ti da, la la ti da...
Doo do loo do do.....
We move along
Keep singing our song
Straight to your heart like a cannonball......

Oh don't it get you
Get you when you're through
Feel the breezes blowing all around your coat
Oh don't it get you
When you gotta roam
Hear the children singing
'daddy's coming home'

Going down to old old woodstock
Feel the cool night breeze
Going down to old old woodstock
Going down to give my baby a squeeze
Going down to old old woodstock
Feel the cool night breeze
Going down to old old woodstock
Way behind the shady trees

Here i come a swaggering
Way on over the ridge
See the water flowing way beneath the bridge
And my woman's waiting
By the kitchen door
I'm driving along
In my old beat up car

Going down to old old woodstock
Feel the cool night breeze
Going down to old old woodstock
Give my child a squeeze
Going down to old old woodstock
To feel the cool night breeze
Going down to old old woodstock
Way behind the shady trees

Listen, oh don't it get you
Get you in your throat
Feel the breezes blowing
All around your coat
Lord don't it get you
When you're bound to roam
Hear your children sing
'daddy's coming home'

Going down to old old woodstock
To feel the cool night breeze
Give my child a squeeze
Going down to old old woodstock
To feel the cool night breeze
Going down to old old woodstock
Way behind the shady trees
Going down to old old woodstock.....

Oh, she give me moonshine whiskey
Oh, she give me southern love
Deep in the heart of texas
There beneath the stars above
Oh, she give me southern comfort
Oh, she give me moonshine love
Deep in the heart of texas
There beneath the stars above

Here i am riding on a train
Just about thunderballs down the line
Just can't wait any longer
See that little darling of mine
See that little darling of mine

She's my texas sweetheart
Part from arkansas
Then we're dancing
Across the floor
And a band was playing
People were swayin', to and fro
Streamline promenade
Streamline promenade
And i said, "wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute
I'm gonna take a plane
Come with me tonight"
Gonna put on my hot pants
And promenade down funky broadway 'till the cows come home
La la la da.....
Oh streamline promenade
Promenade streamline
Streamline promenade
Promenade streamline
Think i'm gonna promenade all night

Oh, she give me moonshine whiskey
Oh, she give me southern love
Deep in the heart of texas
There beneath the stars above
Oh, she give me southern comfort
Oh, she give me moonshine love
Deep in the heart of texas
There beneath the stars above

Listen, here we are
Thinking about time
When i resist here and now
And i just want to lie my feet on a river bed instead
Can't wait any longer
For the sign
I want to get down some time in the water

Watch the fish in the water
Bubbles, watch the bubbles come up in the water
Promenade streamline in the water
Streamline promenade, get funky
Promenade streamline, funky as you want to be
La da da.....
Streamline promenade
Well, i feel alright tonight
Streamline promenade

Oh, she give me moonshine whiskey
Oh, she give me southern love
Oh, she give me moonshine whiskey
Oh, she give me southern love
She give me southern love
Child, she give me southern love.....

You can take all the tea in china
Put it in a big brown bag for me
Sail right around the seven oceans
Drop it straight into the deep blue sea
She's as sweet as tupelo honey
She's an angel of the first degree
She's as sweet as tupelo honey
Just like honey from the bee

You can't stop us on the road to freedom
You can't keep us 'cause our eyes can see
Men with insight, men in granite
Knights in armor bent on chivalry
She's as sweet as tupelo honey
She's an angel of the first degree
She's as sweet as tupelo honey
Just like honey from the bee

You can't stop us on the road to freedom
You can't stop us 'cause our eyes can see
Men with insight, men in granite
Knights in armor intent on chivalry
She's as sweet as tupelo honey
She's an angel of the first degree
She's as sweet as tupelo honey
Just like honey from the bee

You know she's alright
You know she's alright with me
She's alright, she's alright (she's an angel)

You can take all the tea in china
Put it in a big brown bag for me
Sail it right around the seven oceans
Drop it smack dab in the middle of the deep blue sea
Because she's as sweet as tupelo honey
She's an angel of the first degree
She's as sweet as tupelo honey
Just like honey from the bee

She's as sweet as tupelo honey
She's an angel of the first degree
She's as sweet as tupelo honey
Just like the honey, baby, from the bee
She's my baby, you know she's alright.....

A posting to the van mailing list may/96 notes the existence of a "lost verse" to this song, here transcribed from a performance on the van morrison in ireland concert video:


There's a rose pressed inside a bible
That she reads on the balcony
She's sweet in slumber and i've got her number
For the beginning of the century.

Van list member art siegel comments in nov/97 that "i don't think the rose in the bible is a true 'lost verse', but rather one that van added to his live performances years after the origin
Here is, though, a true 'lost verse' which is in the original sheet music:"

I'll tell a tale of old manhattan
Adirondack bus to go
Standing waiting on my number
And my number's gonna show.

The dusty springfield cover version on the van morrison songbook cd has a variant of this:

I heard a tale of old manhattan
I've never been there but i want to go
Standing waiting on my number
And my number's gonna show.

I want you, be around
When that evening sun goes down
I want you, be around
Keep my both feet on the ground
When that evening sun goes down
I want you, understand
Little girl, take me by my hand
I want you, understand
I wanna be your loving man
When that evening sun goes down
If it's nice, we'll go for a walk, a stroll in the clear moonlight
Singing a song, won't take long
Everything gonna be alright
And i wanna hold you oh so near
Keep you, darling from all fear
I wanna hold you oh so near
Nibble on your little ear
When that evening sun goes down
If it's nice, go for a walk, stroll in the clear moonlight
Sing you a song, won't take long
Everything gonna be alright
And i wanna hold you oh so near
Keep you, darling from all fear
I wanna hold you oh so near
Nibble on your little ear
When that evening sun goes down
When that evening sun goes down
When that evening sun goes down...