Woodstock Alumni Richie Havens Plays “Fire And Rain” Like You’ve NEVER Heard It Before

Woodstock Alumni Richie Havens Plays “Fire And Rain” Like You’ve NEVER Heard It Before | Society Of Rock Videos

YouTube via sciencehighway

The All-Night Show with Chuck the Security Guard, 1981

There wasn’t a musician alive who was quite like Woodstock alumni Richie Havens. He had a unique gift for spinning the most wonderful songs in the most unorthodox of ways, ultimately leaving his imprint on them whether it began as one of his own songs or a cover he performed during a moment of inspiration. Richie’s 1981 take on James Taylor’s ‘Fire And Rain’ is a perfect example, and we’ve just never heard anything like it – until now. His take on this classic is warm and friendly; like he’s celebrating fond memories of the friends he’d made over the years and the experiences shared at an event like Woodstock – friends he thought he’d see again, only to read the news that they were gone.

Fun Fact: When Richie Havens passed away in 2013, his ashes were spread across Woodstock’s original festival site in honor of his legacy as part of Woodstock.

This impromptu late night tv performance on Toronto’s The All-Night Show with Chuck the Security Guard is absolutely amazing and captures the light and love that Richie had within him and let radiate every time he picked up his guitar; suddenly, ‘Fire And Rain’ is a look at the other side of loss and isn’t the dreary regret of taking things and people for granted, but something incredibly profound and incredibly powerful.

+ Fire And Rain lyrics +

Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone
Susanne the plans they made put an end to you
I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song
I just can’t remember who to send it to

I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain
I’ve seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I’d see you again

Won’t you look down upon me, jesus
You’ve got to help me make a stand
You’ve just got to see me through another day
My body’s aching and my time is at hand
And I won’t make it any other way

Oh, I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain
I’ve seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I’d see you again

Been walking my mind to an easy time my back turned towards the sun
Lord knows when the cold wind blows it’ll turn your head around
Well, there’s hours of time on the telephone line to talk about things
To come
Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground

Oh, I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain
I’ve seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I’d see you, baby, one more time again, now

Thought I’d see you one more time again
There’s just a few things coming my way this time around, now
Thought I’d see you, thought I’d see you fire and rain, now

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