All Across the Havens – Video 7 – B-Side Album “Empty Sky”

Vlog post number 7 is the first video that I’ve done of a B-Side track.  All Across the Havens appeared first as the B-Side to Elton John’s second single, and my previous post, Lady Samantha.  I hope to do many more B-Side tracks throughout the life of this blog, as I think they are some of Elton’s most exciting tracks.  As you may also know, this song would appear on the 1995 re-release of Empty Sky as a bonus track. 

…You may notice that I’ve sort-of run out of images of Elton in the Empty Sky era so I selected this picture from Reg’s days with Bluesology, his former band.  If anyone has some early images of Elton in the Empty Sky era as well as the Elton John and Tumbleweed Connection albums, I would be so very grateful if you shared them.  Anyway, back to the blog…

All Across the Havens lyrically is again very typical of Bernie’s early cryptic work.  This does have obvious hints of Bernie;s religious upbringing.  I don’t have much personal attachment to the lyrics of this song, but I do enjoy the images that Bernie paints cleverly throughout the lyric. 

This song is, however, one of the first tastes of Elton putting country stylings on his songs.  A quaint banjo riff starts the song leading into a sort-of swinging slow country tempo.  In my version, there is obviously no banjo, but I tried to emulate the intro riff as best as I could on piano.  Otherwise, I did the song pretty straight-forward.

The sister of sunlight
Comes to my lonely life
Bearing the crosses I hung
I hung on my lonely wife

And the anchor told me
If I prayed by the river
That the sweet sound of water
Would always go with her

All across the havens to the waterfall
They told me I would meet her there
Inside those icy walls
But how on earth in this universe
Can they forgive me of my pains
For all across the havens
I must stumble locked in chains

Then the mother of mercy
Showed me her stable
And told me you would be safe
Safe in her cradle

And the waterfall opened
And the water withdrew
Leaving me standing
On a road leading through

© 1968 Dick James Music Limited