We were born 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 fog horn blows
I will be coming home, mmm mmm
And when the fog horn blows
I want to hear it
I don't have to fear it

I wanna rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
Then magnificently we will float
Into the mystic

When that fog horn blows
You know I will be coming home
And when that fog horn whistle blows
I gotta hear it
I don't have to fear it

And I wanna rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
And together we will float
Into the mystic
Come on girl

Will they stop now



Lyrics submitted by archmastermind

Track duration: 03:30

"Into the Mystic" as written by Van Morrison

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

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Into The Mystic song meanings
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41 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I love cuelebre's interpretation of this song. IMHO I think its aboout love. How love is bigger than any two people and they lost their way and he misses that love and he's returning to that beginning with no fear. He wants to hear those words "I love You."
    Flag Nuno11on April 22, 2013   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:It's great that we can take song lyrics and turn them into meaning that are personal to our life experience. Here's my take and I'm not sure if anyone has point this out. It is about sailing (and life in some respects), "the Mystic" is a river that flows into Boston Harbor. Being an Irish immigrant this place no doubt had some significance to him.
    Flag dnbusseon April 15, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Yes, you beautifully understood it. God be with you always.
    Flag roborouseron September 05, 2012   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:My interpretation is also that the song is about passing through life and into the afterlife. It is a wonderful song that usually brings me to tears. The imagery, the sound, and the meaning combine for a very powerful emotional reaction. At the risk of offending the many Van fans here, I suggest you listen to the version by Joanne Cassidy and the Jerry Bennet Band. A few words have been changed, but it is a more up-tempo, rocking rendition with a very smooth, rolling rhythm. Take a listen!
    Flag GreenMountainBoyon September 14, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:this song is about fishermen coming home after months out at sea(:
    Flag mynameisnotyouon July 16, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:To me, this song is about death, "The Mystic" being the death.

    "When that foghorn blows, I will be coming home." Home is the afterlife, and the foghorn is a symbol of dying.

    When he says "Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic," I think he is advising that we accept death.

    He concludes the song by saying "Too late to stop now," meaning it is beyond our control.

    Of course, this is just my opinion. The great thing about this song is that it probably has infinite meanings. Van Morrison is wonderful.
    Flag dpatt712on January 28, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I've loved this song for many many years... I first heard it in the mid 90's in a movie (dont remember which one). It took me about 8 years to finally find that it was Van Morrison called Into The Mystic. My family learned to HATE it because I played it into the ground! I was able to have a drink, relax and even sleep to the song in REPEAT MODE! :) In June of 2010, in my boat, out on the lake we were listening to a CD a friend of ours made that had SOME of the lyrics of Into The Mystic in it... It WAS AWESOME... You'll love it! Its by the "Zach Brown Band" called "Free". Happy Days Man!
    Flag MrDavidOgleon July 22, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I love this song. My husband used to listen to I a lot & now I am making a memorial DVD of his life & using this song. He passed away just recently, only 38. I find this song so powerful, so moving, & a perfect song match for him. He loved the water- Into the mystic, the fog horn blows & going home. I find comfort in it that he is at peace. a nod to our love as well, that we will oneday meet again & together float into the mystic.
    Flag Onlythegooddieyoungon May 21, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The most beautiful song in the history of pop.
    Flag mbrachmanon March 01, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:While looking up the lyrics to the song Into the Mystic by Van Morrison I found several comments about it which I read, and while reading them I agreed with some and disagreed with others, then I realized they all had validity and were all correct which was actually the spirit of the song itself.

    And now here is my take on the song.

    We were born before the wind
    Also younger than the sun

    Before there was a universe or solar system or anything there exist spirit; that which is all knowing. We were born from God.

    Ere the bonnie boat was won as we sailed into the mystic

    Mankind was born on this good boat, or spaceship we call “Earth,” and we sail into the duality of the known and unknown called “the mystic,” knowing there is something there, but not knowing exactly what it is, hence “the mystic.”

    Hark, now hear the sailors cry

    We, mankind, are the sailors crying out. “What is this life? What is the meaning of this mystical experience which we call life? Why am I here?” We may all have different questions at different times. And, we may all have different answers at different times.

    Smell the sea and feel the sky
    Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic

    Enjoy your senses and those things which make up your experiences of your life. Your soul is the totality of your experiences and your spirit is your sense of knowing the duality of life and your expressions of your soul. How you act, what you do, and what you say and think count. “Good thoughts, good words, and good deeds – thus spoke Zarathustra.

    And when that fog horn blows I will be coming home
    And when that fog horn blows I want to hear it
    I don't have to fear it

    When Gabriel blows his horn, or when death and rebirth call us it will be a magnificent sound and there is nothing to fear when returning home to the all knowing spirit within us.

    I want to rock your gypsy soul
    Just like way back in the days of old

    I want to awaken and comfort your wandering just as the ancient prophets have written and spoke about over the centuries, Jesus, Zarathustra, Buhdda and many, many others.

    Then magnificently we will float into the mystic

    Together joined as one mankind we will learn the meaning to all that we seek in this experience we call life.

    Now I have no idea what Van Morrison was actually referring to in this song. I do know he sang some spiritual songs later in his career. What I do know about this song and many of Van Morrison’s songs is that the wording is metaphorical which gives rise to the many ambiguous meanings and comments and is one of the reasons for its strength as a classic song. I noticed one thing all the comments referred to was that the song was beautiful and enjoyed by all.
    Flagged cuelebreon December 22, 2009   Link

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