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Interlude: The Allman Brothers Flow Into the Mystic

Morrison remarked on the song and how its use of homophones lent it alternate meanings:

“‘Into the Mystic’ is another one like ‘Madame Joy’ and ‘Brown Eyed Girl’. Originally I wrote it as ‘Into the Misty’. But later I thought that it had something of an ethereal feeling to it so I called it ‘Into the Mystic’. That song is kind of funny because when it came time to send the lyrics in WB Music, I couldn’t figure out what to send them. Because really the song has two sets of lyrics. For example, there’s ‘I was born before the wind’ and ‘I was borne before the wind’, and also ‘Also younger than the sun, Ere the bonny boat was one’ and ‘All so younger than the son, Ere the bonny boat was won’ … I guess the song is just about being part of the universe.”

We were borne before the wind
Also younger than the sun
Ere the bonnie boat was won
As we sailed into the mystic
Hark, now hear the sailors cry
Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic

And when that foghorn blows
I will be coming home
And when the foghorn blows
I want to hear it
I don’t have to fear it and I want to rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
And magnificently we will flow into the mystic

When that fog horn blows
You know I will be coming home
And when that fog horn whistle blows
I got to hear it
I don’t have to fear it and I want to rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
And together we will flow into the mystic

Come on, girl
Too late to stop now

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • rabbit tobacco December 5, 2020, 6:06 PM

    either a mystic is a special kind of person
    or every person is a special kind of mystic.

  • Kevin in PA December 5, 2020, 6:36 PM

    Nice jam. Never heard it before.
    I mean I never heard the Allman Bros doing Van Morrison.

  • Artie December 5, 2020, 8:26 PM

    Enjoyed every note of that 50 year old classic, what a great find. Thank you for posting.

  • gwbnyc December 5, 2020, 9:43 PM

    all I really recollect about the Allman Brothers was Greg sold their roadie up the river to keep himself outta jail.

  • bert December 6, 2020, 6:37 AM

    Love this song, but they don’t hold a candle to Van Morrison recording.

  • Jahaziel Maqqebet December 6, 2020, 6:52 AM

    Which Allman Brothers is this? There were/are several.

  • ghostsniper December 7, 2020, 7:06 PM

    If there’s more than one, the others don’t matter.
    Hint: The keyboard player was in early Yes.

  • Cletus Socrates December 7, 2020, 7:12 PM

    OK, being a Georgia boy near Macon, I tend to be an ABB traditionalist. However, that one blew me away.