I’m posting the remastered 1907 Van Morrison release and the Widespread Panic version. John “Jo Jo” Herman’s Hammond B3 organ is simply too good not to pass along for those of you who haven’t heard it.
This chapter of Honest Miles is where I begin to escape the stresses of the trip, work, and relationships. Forced into listening to nature because of failing connectivity… and the rain.
“Half a mile from the county fair / And the rain came pourin’ down... / And it stoned me.” We got wet in a big way, soaked on the road. We stood under the veranda of a welcoming old woman waiting for it to pass, enjoying each other’s company. “Yeah, it stoned me to my soul.” It felt good. Not uncomfortable like rain usually feels. Not awkward like you’d expect sharing a complete stranger’s front porch.
“But our throats were getting dry / Then we saw the man / From across the road / With the sunshine in his eyes.” The absolute kindness of strangers: mine to the old man, the old woman’s to us, literally from across the street. No questions asked. People with no common background seeing someone across a divide and helping. “And it stoned me.”
“Oh, we saw the swim and jumped right in.” The lake experience landed us exactly where we needed to be, not by plan. All we needed was a cleansing, and we got a double!