Words and music by Van Morrison. From the album Moondance, 1970.

  In G, as written and recorded on Moondance.

  G                       D                      C                 G 
 1. Half a mile from the county fair... and the rain came pourin' down
  G                D                       C             G 
    Me and Billy standin' there... with a silver half a crown
  G                      D                      C             G 
    Hands are full of a fishin' rod... and the tackle on our backs
  G                      D                       C                 G 
    We just stood there gettin' wet... with our backs against the fence.


middle eight:  Am          D 
                  Oh, the water
               Am          D 
                  Oh, the water
               Am          D 
                  Oh, the water
               Em                              D  (arpeggio)
                  Hope it don't rain all day...


chorus:          G        C      G 
         And it stoned me to my soul
          G                   D 
         Stoned me just like jelly roll
                 Em    G 
         And it stoned me
                 G        C     G 
         And it stoned me to my soul
          G                   D 
         Stoned me just like goin' home
                 Em    G 
         And it stoned me.


             G                  D                  C               G 
 2. And the rain let up and the sun came up... and we were gettin' dry
    G              D               C               G 
    Almost glad a pickup truck... nearly passed us by
           G                       D                        C                G 
    So we jumped right in and the driver grinned... and he dropped us up the road
            G                         D                         C              G 
    And we looked at the swim and we jumped right in... not to mention fishin' poles.


middle eight:  Am          D 
                  Oh, the water
               Am          D 
                  Oh, the water
               Am          D 
                  Oh, the water
               Em                          D (arpeggio)
                  Let it run all over me...

-- chorus 

-- instrumental verse (acoustic steel string guitar - probably Van), and  middle eight 


           G                 D                       C                  G 
 3. On the way back home we sang a song... but our throats were getting dry
            G                  D                          C              G 
    Then we saw the man from across the road... with the sunlight in his eyes
             G                     D                          C               G 
    Well he lived all alone in his own little home... with a great big gallon jar
                G                   D                     C                   G 
    There were bottles too, one for me and you... and he said,"Hey, there you are."


middle eight:  Am          D 
                  Oh, the water
               Am          D 
                  Oh, the water
               Am          D 
                  Oh, the water
               Em                                          D  (arpeggio)
                  Get it myself from the mountain stream...


-- chorus three times, with higher-pitched melody the last time through, closing on a G chord. 

Editor's notes:

LYRICS: Taken from the liner notes, verified against the recording by WA and JimR, and tweaked accordingly. The liner notes have "Almost let a pickup truck nearly pass us by", for verse 2. I've always heard "Almost glad a pickup truck nearly passed us by", and that's what I still hear, listening hard. It almost makes sense, nearly, which can hardly be claimed for the official construction. Perhaps Van realized this himself as he was recording it (?). In the face of overwhelming evidence and testimony, I give up on "Carried it myself from the mountain stream." In favor of the liner-notes-certified "Get it myself from the mountain stream." ...though I will still be tempted to sing it the wrong way.

CHORDS: Straightforward, but put together with a good deal of variety. As JimR suggested, the D chord at the end of the middle eight (if that's a good name for it) surely does not progress to D7.

Track list for the album Moondance:

      1. And It Stoned Me
      2. Moondance
      3. Crazy Love
      4. Caravan
      5. Into the Mystic
      6. Come Running
      7. These Dreams of You
      8. Brand New Day
      9. Everyone
     10. Glad Tidings

First posted Mar 2001. Last edited 26 Nov 2001. - WA

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