"Rough God Goes Riding" is the opening song on the album, '' The Healing Game'' by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. The song reached No. 168 on the UK charts. One of the B-sides of the single, the alternative version of " The Healing Game", appears on all three editions of Morrison's 2007

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

'' Still on Top - The Greatest Hits''. The other B-side "At the End of the Day" was released as a bonus track on the 2008 reissue of ''The Healing Game''.

Song analysis

According to biographer Clinton Heylin this song: "signalled a return to the religious and spiritual preoccupations that had driven Morrison's work throughout the eighties, the image of the Rough God being derived from Robin Williamson's 'Mr. Thomas' — recorded by Morrison for '' Inarticulate'' — in which 'the rough God goes riding with his shears', a reference to the avenging Messiah who shall return to wreak final judgement on Man." Greil Marcus wrote that "The deep burr of Morrison's voice buries the words, which cease to matter; you might not hear them until the tenth time you play the album, or long after that. 'It's when that rough god goes riding,' he sings, drawing the words both from Yeats and down in his chest, and you might never know it's the Angel of Death that has you in its embrace."

Appearance on other albums

"Rough God Goes Riding" has been included as one of fourteen songs on the last disc of the limited 3 disc edition of the 2007 compilation album, '' Still on Top - The Greatest Hits''. It is the only song from the album included on 2015 compilation ''

The Essential Van Morrison ''The Essential Van Morrison'' is a two-disc compilation album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released on August 28, 2015. It is part of Sony BMG's ''Essential'' series of compilation albums and includes tracks from Morrison' ...

''. On the 2015 album Duets: Re-working the Catalogue, Van Morrison performs the song as a duet with his daughter

Shana Morrison Shana Caledonia Morrison (born April 7, 1970) is an Irish-American singer-songwriter and the daughter of Northern Irish singer-songwriter, Van Morrison, and his ex-wife, Janet Rigsbee Minto. Early life Morrison grew up in Marin County, Californ ...

Other performances

A performance of the song, featuring special guests

Candy Dulfer Candy Dulfer (born 19 September 1969) is a Dutch jazz and pop saxophonist. She is the daughter of jazz saxophonist Hans Dulfer. She began playing at age six and founded her band Funky Stuff when she was fourteen. Her debut album ''Saxuality'' ( ...

and

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, was shown on the 1998 Rockpalast Christmas special on German television.

Personnel on original release

* Van Morrison – vocal, harmonica *Robin Aspland – piano * Alec Dankworth – double bass *

Geoff Dunn Geoffrey Edwin Dunn (born 26 February 1961 in Clapham, London, England) is an English rock drummer. From 2002 until his departure in 2007, he was the drummer with the rock band Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Before joining the Earth Band, his long ...

– drums * Pee Wee Ellis –

baritone saxophone The baritone saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use - the bass, contra ...

* Leo Green – tenor saxophone *Ronnie Johnson – electric guitar * Brian Kennedy – background vocals *

Katie Kissoon Mac and Katie Kissoon are a pop soul duo, consisting of brother and sister Mac Kissoon (born Gerald Farthing, November 11, 1943, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago) and Katie Kissoon (born Katherine Farthing, March 11, 1951, Port of Spain). Ea ...

– background vocals

Notes

References

* Heylin, Clinton (2003). ''Can You Feel the Silence? Van Morrison: A New Biography'', Chicago Review Press * Marcus, Greil (2010). ''When That Rough God Goes Riding: Listening to Van Morrison'', Public Affairs, {{Authority control 1997 singles Van Morrison songs Songs written by Van Morrison Song recordings produced by Van Morrison 1996 songs