"In the Garden" Explication

The fields are always wet with rain
After a summer shower
When I saw you standin'
Standin' in the garden
In the garden
Wet with rain

You wiped the teardrops from your eye in sorrow
And we watched the petals fall down to the ground
And as I sat beside you I felt theGreat sadness that day
In the garden

And then one day you came back home
You were a creature all in rapture
You had the key to your soul
And you did open
That day you came back
To the garden

The olden summer breeze was blowin' gainst your face
Alright
The light of God was shinin' on your countenance divine
And you were a violet colour as you
Sat beside your father and your mother

In the garden
The summer breeze was blowin' on your face
Within your violet you treasure your summery words
And as the shiver from my neck down to my spine
Ignited me in daylight and nature in the garden

And you went into a trance
Your childlike vision became so fine
And we heard the bells within the church
We loved so much
And felt the presence of the youth of eternal summers
In the garden

Alright

And as it touched your cheeks so lightly
Born again you were and blushed
And we touched each other lightly
And we felt the presence of the Christ within our hearts

In the garden

And I turned to you and I said

No guru, no method, no teacher
Just you and I and nature
And the Father in the garden

Listen

No guru, no method, no teacher
Just you and I and nature
And the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost
In the garden

Wet with rain

No Guru, no method, no teacher
Just you and I and nature and the Father and the Holy Ghost
In that garden, in the garden, wet with rain

Yeah. Alright.

No Guru, no method, no teacher
Just you and I and nature and the Father In the garden

Explication
Irish singer and songwriter, Van Morrison, skillfully creates beautiful images and intense meaning and feeling in his songs. “In the Garden” clearly describes Christ’s Resurrection but can also be connected to any deep spiritual experience. Morrison’s “In the Garden” portrays a spiritual experience through the use of specific diction, repetition, and imagery of Christ’s Resurrection.


Morrison uses repetition to emphasize the idea of Jesus Christ in his final hours. Morrison repeatedly sings “…in the garden…” The reason for this repetition throughout the song could be to recognize the crucial event in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus was arrested. This event is the beginning of the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is at the center of the world’s Christian beliefs. The repetition of “summer” conveys eternal life and unrestricted happiness, as nature is thriving and green during this season.


Morrison utilizes imagery to convey the meaningfulness of the song and the experience within it. Morrison uses the image of water to stimulate the idea of spiritual purification: “The fields are always wet with rain after a summer shower.” The purification conveyed could describe Christ’s Resurrection or a spiritual healing within a person. “ When I saw you standin’, standin’ in the garden, in the garden.” In this line, Morrison creates the image of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane just hours before his crucifixion. “You wiped the teardrops from your eye in sorrow and we watched the petals fall down to the ground, and as I sat beside you I felt the great sadness that day in the garden.” This line most clearly describes Jesus’ death. Morrison conveys the “sadness” of His death, like the death of a flower when its “petals fall down to the ground.” However, Jesus’ death ultimately meant the forgiveness of man and eternal life in heaven.


The tone in the song shifts to one of salvation, while continuing to portray images of the Resurrection. “And then one day you came back home.” This line describe Jesus rising from the dead and appearing to his Apostles after his death. “You had the key to your soul and you did open that day you came back.” Morrison conveys the idea of Jesus giving the world the key to heaven through his sacrifice. “…You were a violet color as you sat beside your father and your mother in the garden,” and …”within your violet you treasure your summery words.” Color imagery of violet, or purple represents the Lenten season of Jesus’ sacrifice and Resurrection. When Morrison sings, “…as you sat beside your father and your mother…,” he alludes to Mary and Joseph, Jesus’ mother and father on earth. The lines “…ignited me in daylight and nature in the garden,” and “ …felt the presence of the youth of eternal summers in the garden,” describe a feeling of saving grace and forgiveness and hope for eternal life in heaven.


Morrison utilizes specific diction to create an accurate and clear view of the meaning of the song. “You were a creature all in rapture…” The word “rapture” denotes ecstatic joy and happiness, as Morrison describes the return of the Savior. “Your childlike vision became so fine…” Morrison uses the word “childlike” to show innocence and purity, like that of a child.


Though this song strongly represents the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, it can ultimately represent any spiritual reconciliation or peace with one’s self or in a relationship. “No guru, not method, no teacher. Just you and I and nature and the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost in the Garden.” Morrison describes a peace in an individuals life when he is at peace with himself, his neighbor, nature, and God.

(Mrs. Elmeer, YouTube didnt have a clip of this song and i tried putting the song from itunes on here but that didnt work either. Sorry!)