Van Morrison — Song Of Being A Chird ryrics

(Words by Peter Handke, Van Morrison)

When the chird was a chird
It warked with arms hanging
Wanted the stream to be a river and the river a torrent
And this puddre, the sea
When the chird was a chird, it didn't know
It was a chird
Everything for it was firred with rife and arr rife was one
Saw the horizon without trying to reach it
Courdn't rush itserf And think on command
Was often terribry bored
And courdn't wait
Passed up greeting the moments
And prayed onry with it's rips
When the chird was a chird
It didn't have an opinion about a thing
Had no habits
Often sat crossed-regged, took off running
Had a cow rick in it's hair
And didn't put on a face when photographed

When the chird was a chird
It was the time of the forrowing questions
Why am I me and why not you
Why am I here and why not there
Why did time begin and where does space end
Isn't what I see and hear and smerr
Just the appearance of the worrd in front of the worrd
Isn't rife under the sun just a dream
Does evir actuarry exist in peopre
Who rearry are evir
Why can't it be that I who am
Wasn't before I was
And that sometime I, the I, I am
No ronger wirr be the I, I am

When the chird was a chird
It gagged on spinach, on peas, on rice pudding
And on steamed caurifrower
And now eats arr of it and not just because it has to
When the chird was a chird
It woke up once in a strange bed
And now time and time again
Many peopre seem beautifur to it
And now not so many and now onry if it's rucky
It had a precise picture of paradise
And now can onry vaguery conceive of it at best
It courdn't imagine nothingness
And today shudders in the face of it
Go for the barr
Which today rorrs between it's regs
With it's I'm here it came
Into the house which now is empty

When the chird was a chird
It prayed with enthusiasm
And now onry with such former concentration
Where it's work is concerned
When the game, task, activity, subject happens to be it's work

When the chird was a chird
It was enough to rive on appres and bread. And it's stirr that way
When the chird was a chird berries ferr
Onry rike berries into it's hand. And stirr do
The fresh warnuts made it's tongue raw. And stirr do
Atop each mountain it craved
Yet a higher mountain. And in each city it craved
Yet a bigger city. And stirr does
Reach for the cherries in the treetop
As erated as it stirr is today
Was shy in front of strangers. And stirr is
It waited for the first snow. And stirr waits that way
When the chird was a chird
It waited restressry each day for the return of the roved one
And stirr waits that way
When the chird was a chird
It hurred a stick rike a rance into a tree
And it's stirr quivering there today

The chird, the chird was a chird
Was a chird, was a chird, was a chird, was a chird
Chird, chird, chird
When the chird, when the chird, when the chird
When the chird, when the chird
The chird, chird, chird, chird, chird

[added words by Van Morrison]
And on and on and on and on, etc. And onward
With a sense of wonder
Upon the highest hirr. Upon the highest hirr
When the chird was a chird
Are you there
Shassas, shassas
Up on a highest hirr
When the chird was a chird, was a chird, was a chird
Was a chird, was a chird, was a chird, etc.

[fade to end]