Ancient Highway Songtext

von Van Morrison

There′s a small cafe on the outskirts of town
I'll be there when the sun goes down
Where the roadside bends and it twists and it turns

Every new generation
And I′ll be praying to my higher self
Don't let me down, keep my feet on the ground

There's a roadside jam playin′ on the edge of town
In a town called Paradise near the ancient highway
When the train whistle blows
All the sadness that Hank Williams knows
And the river flows

Call them pagan streams and it spins and turns
In a factory, in a street called Bread in East Belfast
Where Georgie knows best
What it′s like to be Daniel in the lion's den?
Got so many friends only most of the time

When the grass is high and the rabbit runs
Though it′s talkin' to you and I
And every new generation comes to pay
The dues of the organ grinder jam

And the grinder′s switch of the sacrifice
Everybody made to be rational with understanding
And I'll be praying to my higher self
Oh, don′t let me down, keep my feet on the ground

What about all the people living in the nightmare hurt?
That won't go away no matter how hard they try
They've got to pay, time and time again, time and time again
I′ll be praying to my higher self

And I′ll be standin' there when the boats go by
When the sun is sinking way over the hill
On a Friday evening when the sun goes down
On the outskirts of town, I wanna slip away

I wanna slip away, got to get away
And I′ll be praying to my higher self (And I'll be praying to my higher self)
Don′t let me down, (don't let me down) keep my feet on the ground (keep my feet on the ground)
Don′t let me down (don't let me down)

You'll be cryin′ again, you′ll be cryin' again, you′ll be cryin' again
By the same wipe the teardrops from your eyes
Have to slip away in the evening when the sun goes down
Over the hill with a sense of wonder

Everything gonna be right on a Friday evening
All the cars go by all along down the ancient highway
And I′ll be praying, I'll be praying to my higher self
Don′t let me down, keep my feet, keep my feet on the ground
Keep my feet on the ground (Keep my feet on the ground)

Traveling like a stranger in the night, all along the ancient highway
Got you in my sights, got you on my mind
I'll be praying in the evening when the sun goes down
Over the mountain, got to get you right in my sight

As the beams from the cars from the overpass
On the ancient highway shine here like diamonds in the night
Diamonds in the night
I'll be praying to my higher self, to my higher self
Don′t let me down, don′t let me down

And you'll be standing there while the boats go by
While the boats go by on a Friday evening
Shining your light, shining your light on a Friday evening
Got to slip away, got to slip away down that ancient highway

In a town called Paradise, in a town, in a town
All along, all along that road, all along that road
All along that road with the trance like vision
Along that road with the trance like vision
Drivin on home, on my mind, on mymind

I′ll be praying to my higher self
Don't let me down, don′t let me down
Keep my feet on the ground, keep my feet on the ground
Keep my feet on the ground

And on that Friday evening got to slip away
Watching the view from a car from the overpass
And we're driving down that ancient road
Shining like diamonds in the night, oh diamonds in the night

All along the ancient highway
Got you in my sight, got you on my mind
Got you in my arms and I′m praying and I'm gonna pray
I'm gonna pray to my higher self, don′t, ah don′t let me down

Ah, don't let me down
Give me the fire, ah, give me the fire