Van Morrison has a new book coming out named ‘Lit Up Inside’, it is a collection of his most memorable lyrics.
The singer has chosen song lyrics that cover his entire music career from beginning to end. ‘Lit Up Inside’ contains about one-third of the lyrics Van Morrison has written over his fifty-year career. He says “The lyrics in this book span 50 years of writing and as such are representative of my creative journey.”
Morrison has always been considered one of the most poetic and enduring songwriters of the last century. His writing often reflects a nostalgia for the carefree days growing up in Belfast. Some of Van’s song titles are taken from familiar childhood haunts, such as ‘Cyprus Avenue’ a nearby street to where he grew up, ‘Orangefield’ the school he attended and ‘On Hyndford Street’ where he was born.
Biographer Brian Hinton remarked:
“like any great poet from Blake to Seamus Heaney he takes words back to their origins in magic…Indeed, Morrison is returning poetry to its earliest roots – as in Homer or Old English epics like Beowulf or the Psalms or folk song – in all of which words and music combine to form a new reality.”
The book will include a foreword written by American Beat Generation poet and musician David Meltzer. Meltzer is said to be “one of the greats of post-World-War-Two San Francisco poets”. The book will also feature an introduction by Dr. Eamonn Hughes, a literature professor at Queen’s University Belfast. He takes a look at the scope of Morrison’s career and influence.
The website Faber.co.uk describes what readers can expect from the book:
“The reader will find examples of all the features of the world that Van Morrison has created through his work: the back streets and mystic avenues; memories of childhood wonder and of adult work; the chime of church bells and the playing of the radio; the generous naming of other artists and the joy of solitude; love and sharp dealing; consolation and grace.”
‘Lit Up Inside’ is due out on October 2nd.
