Rave On John Donne – Van Morrison

Rave On, John Donne – Van Morrison, 1983 (full song)

Rave on John Donne, rave on thy holy fool
Down through the weeks of ages
In the moss borne dark dank pools

Rave on, down through the industrial revolution
Empiricism, the atomic and nuclear age
Rave on down through the corridors
Rave on words on printed page

Rave on, Walt Whitman, nose down in wet grass
Rave on, fill the senses
On nature’s bright green shady path
Rave on Omar Khayyam, Rave on Kahlil Gibran
Oh, what sweet wine we drinketh
The celebration will be held
We will drink the wine and break the holy bread

Rave on let a man come out of Ireland
Rave on on Mr. Yeats,
Rave on down through thy Holy Rosey Cross
Rave on down through theosophy, and the Golden Dawn
Rave on through the writing of “A Vision”
Rave on, Rave on, Rave on,
Rave on, Rave on, Rave on

Rave on John Donne
Rave on thy holy fool.
Down through the weeks of ages
In the moss borne dark dank pools

Rave on, down through the industrial revolution
Empiricism, the atomic and nuclear age
Rave on words on printed page

Tonight, ‘neath the silvery moon, tonight
And the leaves shakin’ on all the trees
And the cool evening summer breeze
And the people passing in the streets
And everybody that you meet

Tonight, you will understand the Oneness
Tonight, you will understand the One
You will understand
The Oneness, The Oneness,
The Oneness, The Oneness
The Oneness, The Oneness
The One

And the truth that you sang about in your song
And its real, what you sang about in your song
I said come back baby, can we talk it over?
Tonight, you will understand the One
The Oneness

Tonight, ‘neath the silvery moon, tonight
Tonight, let it all begin, tonight,
You will understand the Oneness
The Oneness, The Oneness, The Oneness,
Yeah, the truth, what you sang about in your song

I said,
No, no, no, no, no, no,
no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
no, no, no, no, no, no,
no, no, no, no

Tonight, you will understand the One
Tonight, you will understand the Oneness

And the leaves shakin’ on all the trees
And the cool evening breeze
And the people passing on the street
And everybody that you meet
Tonight, Tonight
When your love has gone
tonight, tonight..

Van Morrison,

Live at the Grand Opera House in Belfast, 1983

Painting:

The Dance, by Alphonse Mucha