Allen Toussaint
allen toussaint, “southern nights,”
from: allen toussaint songbook, 2013
I hope you can take a few moments away from whatever you may be up to and experience one of the best pieces I have to offer. As you may quickly be able to tell from sensing the musical atmosphere and Mr. Toussaint’s voice, both singing and speaking, what a fantastic, down -in -there human, he must have been. A classic example of a phenomenon that I think has no name. It is a talk-sing composition. I am grateful for his endearing remembrance.
“Southern nights
Have you ever felt a Southern night?
Free as a breeze
Not to mention the trees
Whistlin’ tunes that you know and love so
Southern nights
Just as good even when you close your eyes
I apologize
To anyone who can truly say
That he has found a better way
Southern skies
Have you ever noticed Southern skies? (In southern skies)
Its precious beauty lies
Just beyond the eye it goes running through your soul
Like the stories told of old
Old man
He and his dog, that walk the old land
Every flower touched his cold hand
As he slowly walked by
Weepin’ willows would cry for joy, joy
Feel so good
Feel so good, it’s frightening
Wish I could
Stop this world from fighting
Mysteries
Like this and many others in the trees
Blow in the night
In the Southern skies
Southern nights
They feel so good, it’s frightening
Wish I could (Southern nights)
Stop this world from fighting
Southern skies
Have you ever noticed?”
A must have record of instrumentals recorded in 1958