Unreleased song by Van Morrison, circa 1973

See notes below



Well I'm sick and tired

of your alibis,

and your indiscreet lies

just won't get you by,

over and over and over and over again.



And your family,

your forced superiority,

your azure delusions of grandeur,

are gonna cut you free,

over and over and over and over again.



You're as cold as ice.

Ahh, you're not Miss Nice,

and I paid the price.



Ahh, you can count me out.

Oh, without a doubt,

I paid the price.



And up and down, 'round, 'round you go,

but you know one monkey

don't stop no show.



It's plain to see

you're in need of help,

but I just can't go on

and whip myself

over and over and over, over again.



Ahh, you can count me out.

Ahh, without a doubt,

you know, I paid the price.

Ahh, you're not Miss Nice.

You're as cold as ice,

and I paid the price.

Yes I did.

You know I did.



And I just wanna know

who's your sponsor.

I just wanna know, oh,

I just a-wanna know, oh,

I just a-wanna know, oh,

who's your angel.



{Backup singers} [I paid the price.]

Sing the song.

[I paid the price.]

[I paid the price.]

[I paid the price.]

And don't discriminate your angel.

[I paid the price.]

And don't discriminate your sponsor.

[I paid the price.]

And be good to your angel.

[I paid the price.]

Bow down to your angel.

[I paid the price.]

Hey, hey!!

[I paid the price.]

Don't discriminate your angel.

[I paid the price.]

And don't discriminate your angel.

[I paid the price.]

Don't discriminate your angel.

[I paid the price.]

Don't discriminate your sponsor.

[I paid the price.]

Bow down to your angel.

[I paid the price.]

Bow down to your angel.

[I paid the price.]

Bow down to your angel.

[I paid the price.]

Uhh, be good!

[I paid the price.]

Be good to your angel.

[I paid the price.]

I tried for to blow it. (??)

[I paid the price.]

I tried for to blow it (??), one more time.

[I paid the price.]

I tried for to blow it (??), one more time.

[I paid the price.]

If you blow it one more time, I say,

[I paid the price.]

Oh, you're as

cold as ice,

and you're not Miss Nice,

and I've definitely

paid the price.





Notes from David Chance:

Performed live & sounds like it came from around the period of the live double LP It's Too Late To Stop Now, i.e. circa the summer of 1973... what I hear on tape has a few crackles & pops, as if it's from vinyl, perhaps an outtake from that album, an acetate that got cut?

Listening to it I get a sense of romance gone awry, a dream that's gone bust, reflections on something once beautiful that has degenerated into something ugly & dysfunctional, wherever fault lays...passionate, angry, disillusioned & sad all at once...love & hate entertwined...wholly human...this Van guy lays it out so real and unadorned...may be why I appreciate his noises so much...



Transcribed by ear 3/21/98



Notes from Michael Burns:

The recording I Paid the Price was transcribed from was probably from the Rainbow Theatre in London in summer of '73. It was part of the historic Too Late to Stop Now gigs and was broadcast by RTE but not the Beeb. I wuz there. I don't think he ever sang it other than that time...