George Harrison - Horse to the Water

"Horse To The Water" is a song by Jools Holland and His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, from Holland's album Small World, Big Band. The song is notable for being George Harrison's last performance on a record, George having recorded lead vocals mere weeks before his death in November 2001. However, Harrison just did vocals for he was too weak from battling cancer to play guitar. The song was co-written by George and his son, Dhani. The song's publisher was listed as "R.I.P. Music Ltd," one last example of Harrison's wry sense of humour.

Lyrics:
You can take a horse to the water
but you can't make him drink
Oh no, oh no, oh no

A friend of mine in so much misery
Some people sail through life,but he has struck a reef
I said 'hey man let's go out and get some wisdom'
But first he turned on me, then he turned off his nervous system

You take a horse to water but
you can't make him drink
Oh no, oh no, oh no
You can have it all layed/staked out in front
of you but it still don't make you think
Oh no, oh no, oh no

Someone I love is gotta problem
Some people thirst for truth, but he would like a drink
I said 'Hey man this could turn out to be risky'
He said 'everything's ok' as he downed another bottle of whiskey

There's a preacher out there warned me about Satan
Could be that he knows him
Cause' He acts like he's possessed
I said 'Hey man let's hear about God realisation
For a change'
he said "We ain't got time for that
First you must hear the evils of fornication"

Category:

Music

Tags:

• big band

[greekLAR]

Nice song. You can tell by his voice at the time he recorded this that he was weak.

[internazionalikos2]

@greekLAR yeah, george recorded this song mere weeks before his death and he just did vocals for he was too weak to play guitar

[GATisdale]

Opening phrase kind of like "As My Guitar Gently Weeps." George! Jools! How could you?

Adeptly! And, it all fit in!

[Miracle490d]

@internazionalikos2 Thanks. It's good to know where I can find it now. I don't like the Concert for George version as much. George did it better. I like the pained voice giving more meaning. Maybe it was a little of both purposeful & illness. Maybe deep emotion too. I think it's fitting that these were his last words to us. He spent his life trying to open eyes & save the world. It's like he's telling us "I've already told you everything I could, but I can't make you change. It's up to you now."

[internazionalikos2]

@Miracle490d i find his voice different but not in a bad way, maybe he wanted to sound that way.

it wasn't released on any george harrison album, it was realesed on the Small World, Big Band album by Jools Holland and His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra featuring george on the album

[Miracle490d]

@internazionalikos2 In that case you may have created a little confusion when you said "yeah" to geekLAR 8months ago. He was saying that George's voice was weak so it looked like to agreed. I just think that George was singing with a pained voice because the lyrics call for it. He did that in many songs. Was this one ever put on CD? How do you find this song?

[internazionalikos2]

@Balertwine i didn't say anything that george has weak voice in this song i said he was weak to play guitar as far as i know

i find his voice fine in this great song

[windycitygal1000]

awesome. rip george.

[Miracle490d]

@greekLAR Others think his voice is weak too. I don't hear it. I would've thought one week away it would've been much weaker. BRAIN CANCER!!! TERMINALLY ILL!!! WAITING FOR DEATH!!!! I thought he was lying in bed for countless agonizing hours waiting for the end. I'M SO GLAD HE WENT OUT SINGING!!!! NO MATTER HOW IT SOUNDS!!!! And listen to how upbeat he stayed!!!

[WVPRadio]

We miss you, George!

[wordscontrolminds]

he was so beautiful, i was so upset when he passed (ashpan23)